SEP  261921 


%(/?CfnAi  ^PiA^^ 


Divisioa 

BX  5995  .H7 5  H7  1906 
Huntington,  Arria  Sargent, 

1848- 
Memoir  and  letters  of 

Frederic  Dan  Huntington 


MEMOIR  AND  LETTERS 

OF 

FREDERIC   DAN   HUNTINGTON 


MEMOIR  AND  LETTERS 

OF 

y/ 

FREDERIC  DAN  HUNTINGTON 


JFirfit  ^i6|)op  of  Central  Bcto  gotii 


BY 


.4- 


ARRIA  S.   HUNTINGTON 


SEP  26  1921 


BOSTON   AND   NEW  YORK 
HOUGHTON,  MIFFLIN  AND  COMPANY 

1906 


COPYRIGHT   1906   BY  ARRIA  S.  HUNTINGTON 
ALL   RIGHTS  RESERVED 

Published  November  iqob 


PREFACE 

In  the  preparation  of  this  Memoir  the  endeavor 
has  not  been  to  construct  a  complete  Biography,  or 
to  include  in  a  comprehensive  record  the  many  in- 
terests, the  acquaintances,  and  the  correspondence  of  a 
long  life.  Bishop  Huntington's  early  religious  experi- 
ence was  unusual,  and  that  is  given  in  his  own  words. 
Other  considerations  beside  the  inadequacy  of  the 
editor  for  theological  and  historical  labors  were 
taken  into  account  in  confining  the  work  to  a  limited 
space.  It  would  not  have  been  consistent  with  the 
personality  portrayed  to  reproduce,  merely  for  the 
honor  paid  to  their  subject,  the  noble  and  eloquent 
tributes  rendered  him  in  press  and  pulpit,  and  only 
those  are  here  preserved  which  throw  a  direct  light 
upon  traits  of  character. 

The  writings  of  Frederic  Huntington,  in  the  course 
of  two  generations,  have  reached  people  in  all  lands 
who  never  saw  his  face  or  heard  his  voice.  In  the 
field  of  education  alone  thousands  of  teachers  have 
drawn  help  and  inspiration  from  the  little  book, 
"  Unconscious  Tuition."  His  sermons  and  devotional 
volumes  continue  to  awaken  to  righteousness,  and 
bring  spiritual  consolation  to  earnest  souls.  For  such 
as  these,  for  the  Clergy  of  his  own  Diocese,  and  the 
flocks  who  loved  and  revered  their  Chief  Pastor,  as 
well  as  for  the  old  Parishioners  who  cherish  his  mem- 
ory, these  imperfect  recollections  are  gathered  up. 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

Bishop  Huntington  — 1887  .         .  Frontispiece 

Portrait  of  Frederic  Dan  Huntington  at  the 
Age  of  Twenty-seven,  from  a  Crayon  Por- 
trait in  1846  BY  Seth  Cheney       ...       86 

Bishop  Huntington's  Birthplace  and  Summer 
Home  at  Hadley 374 

Bishop  and  Mrs.  Huntington — 1895  .         .     412 


MEMOIR   AND   LETTERS  OF 
FREDERIC   DAN   HUNTINGTON 

CHAPTER   I 

HERITAGE   AND    YOUTH 

"  In  this  place  there  was  a  record  kept  of  them  that  had  been  pil- 
grims of  old." 

On  the  first  day  of  the  past  century  a  wedding  took 
place  in  the  old  family  mansion  at  Hadley,  Massa- 
chusetts, which  may  well  be  memorable  to  the  many 
descendants  of  Dan  Huntington  and  Elizabeth  Whiting 
Phelps.  The  alliance  was  entirely  suitable,  in  view  of 
the  position  of  the  bride  and  bridegroom,  their  an- 
cestry, kinsfolk,  and  education.  Both  came  from  a 
lineage  of  distinguished  Connecticut  forefathers;  on 
one  side  the  Huntington  founders  of  the  town  of  Nor- 
wich, the  Metcalfs,  and  the  Throops;  on  the  other 
the  early  settlers  of  the  towns  of  Northampton  and 
Hadley,  sons  of  Hartford  and  Windsor  colonists, 
brave  and  gentle  folk  who  landed  in  the  Mary  and 
John  at  Dorchester  in  1630  and  made  their  way 
across  the  wilderness  a  few  years  later. 

The  bride's  grandfather,  Moses  Porter,^  lost  his  life 
as  captain  of  a  militia  company  in  the  tragic  Battle 

^  See  notes  in  Appendix. 


2  FREDERIC   DAN    HUNTINGTON 

of  the  Morning  Scout  at  Crown  Point  in  September, 
1755,  leaving  a  widow  and  little  girl  in  the  house  then 
newly  erected  tw^o  miles  north  of  Hadley  village.  His 
wife  was  descended  from  Rev.  John  Whiting,  a  grad- 
uate of  Harvard  College  in  1653,  a  godly  and  esteemed 
minister  of  Hartford,  who  seems  to  have  been,  in  the 
long  line  of  ancestry,  excepting  Rev.  Dan  Huntington, 
the  only  progenitor  from  whom  the  future  bishop  in- 
herited an  inclination  towards  the  calling  of  a  preacher.^ 
EUzabeth,  daughter  of  John  Whiting  and  Phoebe 
Gregson,  became  the  wife  of  Nathaniel  Pitkin,^  son  of 
Wihiam  Pitkin,^  who  held  high  office  in  the  Hartford 
Colony.  Their  daughter,  Elizabeth,  married  Captain 
Moses  Porter,  and  of  this  marriage  there  was  but  one 
child,  EHzabeth.  She  became  the  wife  of  Charles 
Phelps,  descendant  of  Nathaniel  Phelps,  who  was  a 
founder  of  the  town  of  Northampton  and  one  of  the 
first  deacons  of  the  church  there.  The  offspring  of 
this  union  were  a  son  and  daughter:  Moses,  whose 
name  was  changed  to  Charles  Porter,  born  August, 
1772,  and  Elizabeth  Whiting,  born  February  4,  1779, 
who  became  the  bride  of  January  1,  1801. 

Of  distinctly  Puritan  stock,  without  any  mixture 
on  either  side,  the  history  for  six  generations  is  that  of 
stout-hearted  men  of  action,  with  established  rehgious 
convictions,  faithful  to  church  and  state,  upright  in 
morals.  Public  service  was  rendered  in  those  times 
as  part  of  social  obligation,  and  more  often  at  personal 
sacrifice  than  for  any  expected  recompense.  Such  is 
the  record  of  early  days  gathered  from  the  reminis- 
cences of  Rev.  Dan  Huntington,  written  in  old  age,  of 

^  See  notes  in  Appendix.  ^  ggg  notes  in  Appendix. 

^  See  notes  in  Appendix. 


HERITAGE    AND    YOUTH  3 

his  home  in  Lebanon,  Connecticut,  and  of  the  relatives 
and  neighbors  — Huntingtons,  Wolcotts,  Trumbulls, 
Throops,  Metcalfs,  Masons,  Wheelocks. 

WilHam  Huntington,  father  of  Dan,  enhsted  under 
General  Putnam,  served  with  him  in  the  beginning 
of  the  Revolution,  and  was  in  command  of  a  company 
of  militia  when  New  London  was  burned  by  the 
regulars;  an  incident  well  remembered  by  his  young- 
est son,  then  a  child,  who  saw  the  smoke  of  the  con- 
flagration from  their  home. 

Dan  Huntington  graduated  from  Yale  College  in 
1794,  with  the  first  honors.  He  became  a  tutor  at 
mlHams  College,  then  just  estabhshed,  but  was 
recalled  to  a  similar  position  at  Yale,  which  he  held 
for  two  years,  pursuing  his  studies  in  theology  with 
the  president,  Dr.  Timothy  Dwight.  This  gentleman 
published  in  his  celebrated  "Travels"^  an  account  of 
the  Hadley  estate,  which  he  pronounced  "the  most 
desirable  possession  of  the  same  kind  and  extent 
within  my  knowledge;"  going  on  to  describe  at  some 
length  its  attractions.  It  was  on  a  visit  to  its  owner, 
Charles  Phelps,  that  he  met  the  daughter  Elizabeth 
Whiting,  and  was  much  impressed  with  her  charm  of 
person  and  of  character.  He  did  not  fail  to  mention 
these  attractions  to  his  favorite  tutor,  with  a  suggestion 
that  the  young  man  might  find  in  her  all  the  qualities 
most  desirable  in  a  minister's  wife.  Not  long  after- 
wards. Rev.  Mr.  Huntington,  having  been  asked  to 
occupy  the  pulpit  at  the  Hadley  meeting-house  on  a 
Sunday,  was  invited  on  the  following  Tuesday  to 
drink  tea  with  the  family  of  Squire  Phelps.    The  ac- 

*  Dr.  Edward  E.  Hale  calls  this  "the  first  guide-book  of  New 
England,  excellent  reading  to  this  day." 


4  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

quaintance  thus  begun  (whether  by  chance  or  contriv- 
ance, who  can  tell  ?)  ripened  into  a  mutual  affection, 
and  the  marriage  was  celebrated  the  following  year. 

In  his  "Family  Memorial,"  written  as  an  octo- 
genarian, Rev.  Dan  Huntington  says  that  at  this  time 
he  was  much  attracted  by  the  current  setting  towards 
what  was  then  called  "the  West,"  the  Connecticut 
reserve  lands  in  Ohio.  But  the  place  of  assistant 
minister  at  Litchfield,  Rev.  Mr.  Champion  having 
become  disabled,  was  offered  to  him.  He  accepted, 
and  was  ordained  to  the  work  of  the  ministry  in  Sep- 
tember, 1798.  This  "delightful  village"  was,  as  he 
himself  describes  it,  "  on  a  fruitful  hill,  richly  endowed 
with  schools,  both  professional  and  scientific,  and 
their  accomplished  teachers ;  with  its  learned  lawyers, 
and  senators,  and  representatives,  both  in  the  National 
and  State  departments;  and  with  a  population  en- 
lightened and  respectable.  Litchfield  was  now  in  its 
glory.  I  came  among  them  without  patrimony;  but 
with  their  assistance,  in  a  handsome  settlement,  I  soon 
found  myself  in  a  way  to  be  comfortably  at  home 
among  them,  with  a  neat  domicile  of  my  own." 

The  house  which  he  built,  for  himself  was  burned  in 
1861,  but  the  stepping-stones  remaining  are  the  same 
over  which  the  family  were  wont  to  pass,  and  some 
of  the  original  fruit-trees,  preserved  by  grafts,  have 
been  remembered  as  the  "minister's  pear,"  to  the 
present  generation.  Through  the  pious  commemoration 
of  a  townsman,  a  fine  portrait,  copy  of  a  miniature, 
painted  on  ivory,  at  the  period  of  Rev.  Mr.  Hunting- 
ton's pastorate,  has  been  placed  in  the  chapel  of  the 
church,  among  those  of  the  other  deceased  ministers, 
Rev.  Lyman  Beecher  being  his  immediate  successor. 


HERITAGE    AND    YOUTH  5 

To  this  home  and  parish,  possessing  attractions  to  an 
unusual  degree,  was  introduced  the  bride  of  the  new 
century,  after  "  a  long  journey  over  frozen  ground, 
through  snow-banks,  and  amid  the  storms  of  winter." 
Writing  to  his  grandchildren  in  old  age,  her  hus- 
band says  playfully:  "  On  this,  as  on  all  other  subjects, 
all  is  well  that  ends  well.  If  you  would  knoAv  more 
about  it,  my  dear  children,  try  it  for  yourselves  when 
the  time  comes.  What  say  you  to  a  courtship  of  a 
year  or  two  without  an  engagement  ?  the  heart,  without 
the  hand  ?  the  apparent  affection,  but  not  the  promise, 
anterior  to  the  marriage  vow  .'^ " 

The  character  of  the  young  minister  was  genial  and 
cheerful;  even  in  his  declining  years  one  who  knew 
him  well  testifies:  "Never  were  ears  less  open  than 
his  to  listen  to  the  Crack  of  doom,  —  never  was  tongue 
less  ready  than  his  to  be  a  prophet  of  coming  disaster. 
Every  village  stir  was  not  in  his  opinion  a  crisis.  He 
waked  and  slept,  and  waked  again  and  the  Lord  sus- 
tained him.  He  was  willing  to  labor  and  to  wait  and 
pray. 

"The  manners  of  our  friend  were  gentle  and  his 
words  well  chosen.  Had  he  found  it  necessary  to  go 
into  a  King's  Palace  we  should  have  felt  no  concern 
as  to  his  bearing.  He  would  have  carried  himself  with 
a  singular  grace,  without  any  amazed  awkwardness, 
and  as  one  who  had  somehow  been  there  before." 

We  learn  from  such  a  tribute,  given  by  an  intimate 
friend  of  the  subject  of  this  memoir,^  how  largely  the 
youngest  son  OAved  to  his  Huntington  blood  a  Idndly 
and  genial  instinct,  and  a  simplicity  of  character 
which  especially  distinguished  him. 
1  Rev.  Rufus  Ellis. 


6  FREDERIC   DAN   HUNTINGTON 

There  is  no  doubt  that  from  his  mother  Frederic 
inherited  a  strain  so  opposite  to  the  sanguine  and  the 
optimistic,  so  austere  and  so  reserved,  that  an  effort 
must  be  made  to  portray  faithfully  the  remarkable 
character  which  she  possessed. 

EHzabeth  Whiting  Phelps  was  an  only  daughter. 
Her  childhood  was  spent  mostly  at  home  under  refined 
and  happy  influences.  Mrs.  Phelps,  the  mother,  was 
an  active,  clear-minded,  cheerful  person,  keeping  an 
open  house,  administering  the  affairs  of  a  large  estate 
with  justice  and  generosity,  social,  neighborly,  and 
unaffectedly  religious.  Her  disposition  shows  itself 
through  the  pages  of  her  diary,  kept  from  her  six- 
teenth year,  and  was  in  contrast  with  that  of  her  hus- 
band, who  was  more  inclined  to  moods.  In  his  family 
some  singularities  have  been  traced  back  to  an  ances- 
tress Grace  Martin,  who  married  Nathaniel  Phelps  of 
Northampton  in  1676,  herself  recently  come  from  Eng- 
land. Early  annals  speak  of  her  as  "  of  great  resolution 
and  perseverance  and  a  little  romantic  withal."  In  her 
descendants  one  finds  a  tinge  of  melancholy,  reticence, 
and  reserve,  and  that  indifference  to  the  opinion  of 
others  which  borders  on  eccentricity.  There  was  also  an 
idealism,  and  a  tenacity  of  opinion  which  showed  itself 
strongly  in  the  life  of  the  elder  Charles  Phelps,  in  his 
vision  of  a  great  university  on  the  Vermont  hills,  and  the 
dogged  resolution  with  which  he  resisted  the  formation 
of  that  state  and  its  separation  from  New  York.^ 

From  such  antecedents  EHzabeth  Phelps  inherited 

a  strong  character,  high  ideas,  passionate  self-devotion. 

Like  her  mother  she  had  a  keen  sense  of  humor  and  a 

quick  wit,  but  she  did  not  share  the  same  sprightly 

^  Under  a  Colonial  Roof-tree. 


HERITAGE    AND    YOUTH  7 

nature,  and  in  her  Journal  an  unusual  seriousness 
manifests  itself.  Beginning  at  the  time  when  she  made 
an  outward  confession  of  religion  in  1798,  her  entries 
soon  go  beyond  the  customary  scrupulous  record  of 
each  Sunday's  sermon  and  text;  prayers,  meditations, 
self -questionings  are  poured  out  as  the  natural  expres- 
sion of  a  sensitive  and  highly  spiritual  soul. 

On  her  wedding  day  she  writes :  "  Is  this  the  closing 
scene  of  my  single  life  ?  the  time  which  for  more  than 
a  year  I  have  been  anticipating  and  for  which  prepara- 
tion of  mind  ought  to  have  been  made?"  And  on 
reaching  Litchfield :  "  I  am  now  settled  in  my  dwelling ; 
now  am  I  under  the  inspection  of  an  attentive  town  — 
but  this  intimidates  me  not,  the  eye  of  the  Lord  is  upon 
me,  therefore  let  me  fear  before  Him." 

Birthdays  of  all  her  children  were  marked  by  special 
prayer.  Of  a  maidservant  born  in  the  house  she  writes : 
"  Elvira  is  eighteen  years  old  to-day.  I  would  entreat 
Almighty  God  to  forgive  all  that  has  been  amiss  in 
my  treatment  of  her  and  my  intercourse  with  her; 
help  me  in  time  to  experience  more  meekness,  forbear- 
ance, longsuffering,  gentleness." 

From  the  first,  when  she  became  mistress  of  the 
Litchfield  Parsonage,  there  was  nothing  plaintive  or 
timorous  in  the  way  she  met  the  world  and  its  duties. 
Children  came  fast  and  were  welcomed,  and  with  these 
cares  were  added  those  of  her  position :  visitings  and 
tea-drinkings ;  associations  of  ministers  and  clerical 
exchanges,  demanding  frequent  hospitality;  visits 
from  her  honored  parents  and  consequent  entertaining. 
The  limited  income  of  a  country  parson  was  neces- 
sarily supplemented  with  a  liberal  hand  by  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Phelps,  who  were  not  too  far  removed  to  send 


8  FREDERIC    DAN   HUNTINGTON 

wagon-loads  of  fruit  and  stores  across  the  Connecticut 
hills.  In  the  constant  correspondence  between  mother 
and  daughter  there  is  no  recognition  of  stint  or  de- 
pendence, although  the  demands  of  a  growing  family 
finally  compelled  Rev.  Mr.  Huntington  to  remove  to 
Middletown,  where  for  a  while  he  added  receipts  from 
boarding-pupils  to  his  income.  In  1816  Mrs.  Hunt- 
ington's father  died,  having  completed  an  upright  and 
useful  career,  one  of  his  latest  services  to  the  com- 
munity being  a  care  for  the  erection  of  the  meeting- 
house, in  Hadley,  to  this  day  in  good  preservation  and 
a  model  of  Puritan  architecture.^  His  estate  was  di- 
vided between  the  son  and  daughter,  the  latter  retain- 
ing the  old  homestead  and  buildings  adjoining,  with 
a  farm  of  so  considerable  extent  that  it  would  afford 
provision  for  a  large  family.  It  seemed  wise  and  pru- 
dent for  the  Rev,  Dan  Huntington  to  remove  thither, 
he  himself  continuing  to  preach  at  intervals  in  different 
places.  In  May,  1819,  the  eleventh  and  last  child,  the 
seventh  son,  was  bom.  We  find  this  record  in  his 
mother's  journal  —  a  Httle  homemade  book  of  nar- 
row sheets  of  note  paper,  clear,  firm,  and  accurately 
indited. 

June  27,  1819.    Hadley. 

Sabbath  Evening. 

The  28th  day  of  last  month,  about  eleven  o'clock 
in  the  morning,  I  was  made  to  rejoice  in  the  birth  of 
another  son;  never  can  I  admire  and  adore  the  good- 
ness of  God  for  his  mercy  to  me  in  this  time  of  distress, 
anxiety  and  danger  —  how  much  better  did  he  deal 

^  This  edifice  was  erected  in  1808  in  the  West  Street  of  the  village, 
and  removed  to  its  present  site  in  1841.  The  weather-cock  was 
brought  from  England  for  the  earlier  building  in  1752. 


HERITAGE    AND    YOUTH  9 

with  me  tlian  I  feared.  I  am  ashamed  of  my  unbeHef 
and  of  my  shameful  distrust  of  Thee,  O  my  Covenant 
God,  why  is  it  that  I  am  so  favored  ?  Thou  art  gra- 
cious and  merciful  to  the  evil  and  unthankful.  I  be- 
seech thee  to  enable  me  to  spend  my  future  life  more 
in  thy  service  and  to  Thy  glory,  make  me  more  diligent 
and  active  in  instructing  those  around  me,  and  espe- 
cially my  dear  children  in  the  things  of  salvation,  and 
wilt  Thou  crown  my  exertions  with  Thy  blessing. 

In  particular  would  I  plead  at  this  time  for  the 
precious  little  one  just  brought  into  the  world.  I  have 
been  the  means  of  giving  him  a  sinful,  corrupt  nature. 
I  can  do  nothing  to  effect  his  salvation,  without  the 
influences  of  Thy  Spirit,  O  be  pleased  to  help  me,  and 
especially  dwell  in  his  heart,  by  Thy  grace,  and  suffer 
him  not  to  go  in  the  way  of  sin ;  renew  his  heart  early 
in  life  if  it  may  consist  with  Thy  will  and  prepare  him 
to  be  a  blessing  in  the  world  and  blessed  at  last  in  Thy 
heavenly  kingdom.  Thou  hast  enabled  me  O  Lord, 
to  wait  upon  Thee  in  Thy  house  and  to  dedicate  him 
to  Thee  in  Baptism,  now  may  we  feel  that  he  is  not  our 
own,  but  may  we  be  careful  to  bring  him  up  for  Thee, 
who  has  so  kindly  dealt  with  us. 

This  was  the  day  of  the  baptism  of  Frederic  Dan, 
just  a  month  after  his  birth.  The  entry  is  inscribed  in 
the  hand  of  the  old  pastor,  Rev.  John  Woodbridge,  in 
the  records  of  the  Church  of  Christ,  Hadley ;  a  fact  not 
of  itself  of  any  significance  except  for  the  connection 
of  this  rigid  old  Puritan  with  what  became  a  largely 
controlling  influence  in  the  life  of  the  child  whom  he 
had  admitted  into  the  Christian  fold. 

Not  two  years  after  Frederic's  birth  the  same  re- 


10  FREDERIC   DAN   HUNTINGTON 

gistry  sets  down  minutes  of  a  church  meeting  at  which 
a  letter  of  petition  was  presented  by  the  Reverend  Dan 
Huntington. 

Although  a  clergyman  in  the  Congregational  body,  he 
had  become  interested,  through  correspondence  and 
study,  in  the  movement  towards  Unitarianism.  He  was 
beginning  to  associate  himself  with  other  little  groups 
of  thinking  people  in  the  towns  of  western  Massa- 
chusetts. Joined  with  him  in  the  letter  was  his  brother- 
in-law  Charles  Phelps,  lately  removed  from  a  Boston 
law  practice  to  a  new  house  on  the  family  estate.  That 
the  attitude  of  these  minds  was  not  one  of  entire  sep- 
aration from  the  covenant  of  their  forefathers  seems 
evident  from  the  fact,  attested  in  the  pastor's  own  hand, 
that  the  letter  to  be  considered  requested  from  its 
writers  communion  with  the  church  "as  Unitarians" 
and  "  the  same  privilege  for  their  children,  who  desire 
it  with  the  same  views  of  Gospel  which  they  themselves 
entertain." 

The  place  of  worship  at  Hadley  was  the  nearest  to 
the  family  residence,  situated  in  the  neighboring  vil- 
lage. It  was  there  that  Elizabeth  Phelps,  before  her 
marriage,  had  united  with  the  confessed  followers  of 
Christ.  She  herself  had  the  full  right  of  participation 
in  the  sacrament,  and  her  husband  desired  it  for  him- 
self and  the  sons  and  daughters  growing  up  around 
them.  The  request  was  refused,  in  a  tone  which  be- 
trays all  the  bitterness  of  ecclesiastical  controversy. 
The  reply,  after  remarking  that  "  it  is  a  novel  and  un- 
precedented thing  for  persons  ha\ang  no  communion 
with  a  Church  to  soHcit  a  participation  in  its  privileges," 
goes  on  to  state  the  differences  as  shown  in  the  Unita- 
rian writings:    "It  is  one  of  their  favorite  objections 


HERITAGE   AND   YOUTH  11 

against  the  system  that  it  strips  the  most  high  of  every- 
thing amiable,  and  clothes  him  with  all  the  odious  at- 
tributes of  a  Tyrant.  In  their  estimation  the  religious 
worship  we  pay  is  offered  to  a  being  of  the  most  ma- 
lignant character  and  to  one  who  is  dependent  as  we 
are  for  his  existence  and  all  of  his  attributes.  How  if 
this  imputation  be  just  we  can  deserve  to  be  called 
Christians  it  is  difficult  to  imagine.  If  the  Church 
should  comply  it  would  seem  that  an  assent  to  the  con- 
fessions of  faith  is  not  essential  to  membership." 

"It  would  imply  that  the  doctrine  of  the  Lord's 
divinity  is  less  essential  than  it  is."  Very  natural  ob- 
jections were  raised  that  it  would  tend  to  disunion  and 
might  lead  to  proselyting;  "that  it  would  open  the 
door  to  other  errors  in  belief." 

The  summing  up  was  as  follows:  "For  these  rea- 
sons the  Committee  believe  that  the  applicants  should 
place  themselves  under  our  watch  by  a  transfer  to  us 
of  their  special  relations  to  the  Church  of  which  they 
are  respectively  members."  The  expression  *'  under 
our  watch  "  is  the  key-note  to  an  inquisition  henceforth 
practiced  towards  Mrs.  Huntington.  Knowing  how 
many  of  the  "First  Churches  "  of  the  Calvinistic  strong- 
hold were  deliberately  renouncing  its  doctrines  and  are 
to-day  Unitarian  places  of  preaching,  it  is  not  strange 
that  rugged  characters  of  Puritan  descent  should  adopt 
measures  which  seemed  warranted  by  the  taint  of 
heresy. 

The  inclinations,  associations,  and  views  of  the  Hunt- 
ingtons  had  become  well  known.  Rev.  Dan  Hunting- 
ton traveled  up  the  valley  and  over  the  hills,  frequently 
taking  with  him  some  member  of  his  family,  preaching 
to  the  small  flocks  of  ardent  disciples  of  the  "  Liberal 


12  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

Christianity"  which  was  to  them  mercy  and  not 
wrath. 

Elizabeth  Huntington  at  home  read  Channing  and 
Martineau  and  Dewey  and  Henry  Ware,  and  the 
"  Monthly  Rehgious  Magazine."  On  the  Puritan  Sab- 
bath she  took  her  children  to  sit  with  her  under  the  old 
pulpit  from  which  issued  vivid  pictures  of  future  retri- 
bution. The  youngest  child,  Frederic,  never  lost  the 
impression  of  those  anathemas.  To  his  wondering 
mind  the  streaming  tears  of  the  minister  were  as  inex- 
plicable as  the  threats  of  impending  doom.  He  used  to 
say  in  later  hfe  that  it  became  fixed  in  his  mind  that  the 
preacher's  habit  of  crying  visibly  and  audibly  in  pubHc, 
was  "  because  he  was  afraid  too  many  people  would  be 
saved."  At  regular  intervals  appeared  the  officers  of 
the  church,  making  long  visits,  searching,  questioning, 
arguing  with  the  saintly  woman  whom  they  held  sub- 
ject to  inquiry.  To  the  high-strung,  thoughtful  boy, 
loving  his  mother  passionately,  believing  her  the  best 
and  purest  of  beings,  it  was  a  puzzle  which  he  could  not 
explain.  He  knew  that  his  mother  fasted  and  prayed 
and  sorrowed  for  daily  sin ;  kept  tender  watch  over  her 
children;  perused  eagerly  the  literature  in  behalf  of 
the  abolition  of  slavery  and  the  establishment  of  uni- 
versal peace,  and  extended  her  practical  sympathy  to 
the  inebriate,  the  oppressed,  the  slave. 

The  result  is  on  record  in  her  own  handwriting. 

"xAugust  17th,  1828.  A  week  ago  yesterday  Deacon 
J.  Smith  and  Deacon  Hopkins  made  me  the  second 
visit.  The  Monday  after  Mr.  Woodbridge  sent  me  a 
letter  requesting  me  to  meet  the  Church  the  next  day 
to  answer  to  the  complaint  laid  against  me  —  which  is 
that  I  have  not  attended  the  sacrament  of  the  Lord's 


HERITAGE    AND    YOUTH  13 

Supper  with  them  for  five  years  —  the  reason  of  this 
was  that  Mr.  Woodbridge  said  I  ought  to  be  excom- 
municated for  being  a  Unitarian  —  the  inference  which 
I  drew  from  this  was  that  I  ought  not  to  disturb  his 
feehngs  —  nor  those  of  his  charge  by  attending,  tho' 
I  did  attend  his  church-meeting  and  to-day  he  has 
been  laboring  with  his  Church  to  persuade  them  to  the 
duty  of  excommunication  and  church  discipHne  —  the 
Lord  direct  them  in  the  way  of  duty. 

"Nov.  2nd,  1828.  The  Church  have  withdrawn  their 
watch  and  fellowship  from  me  by  public  act  and  a  copy 
has  been  sent  me. 

"Nov.  2nd,  1828.  As  I  am  dismissed  from  the 
Church  in  Hadley,  I  have  concluded  to  unite  with  the 
Church  in  Northampton. 

"Nov.  23rd,  1828.  Attended  meeting;  Mr.  Wood- 
bridge  preached,  also  Thanksgiving  Day. 

"Dec.  13th,  1828.  Last  Sabbath  Whiting,  Bethia, 
Frederic  and  I  attended  meeting  at  Northampton,  the 
two  first  and  myself  were  admitted  to  the  Communion, 
as  I  had  been  dismissed  from  the  Church  in  Hadley  I 
thought  it  best  to  unite  there  tho'  I  do  not  agree  in 
every  particular  with  Mr.  Hall,  —  yet  as  he  requires 
no  particular  creed  and  he  seems  to  be  a  serious  and 
conscientious  man,  I  hope  it  may  be  acceptable  to  my 
Maker  to  follow  this  course. 

"  Dec.  27th.  Last  Sabbath  went  to  meeting  in  town 
(Hadley)  Mr.  H.  is  to  preach  to-morrow  in  the  Central 
School  House.  What  a  blessing  it  would  be  to  have  a 
place  of  worship  where  we  could  go  regularly  and 
pleasantly  attend  —  but  Thou  O  Lord  must  make  all 
things  for  our  good." 

It  will  be  remarked  that  with  quiet  dignity  Mrs. 


14  FREDERIC    DAN   HUNTINGTON 

Huntington  continued  at  intervals  to  attend  Mr.  Wood- 
bridge's  services  and  to  maintain  her  connection  with 
the  church  from  whose  communion  she  was  excluded. 
It  became  the  family  custom  for  some  members  to  at- 
tend worship  either  in  the  nearer  village  of  North  Had- 
ley  or  in  the  Hadley  meeting-house,  while  as  many  as 
could  be  conveniently  conveyed  drove  to  the  Unitarian 
gathering  in  Northampton.  In  that  same  memorable 
year  of  the  excommunication,  we  read  in  her  diary 
that  she  visited  Boston  with  an  older  son  and  heard  Dr. 
Channing  and  Dr.  Gannett,  then  both  in  the  full  glory 
of  their  fame  and  influence. 

The  effect  of  the  intolerance  so  unusually  manifested 
was  no  doubt  strongly  a  personal  one  to  the  young  boy, 
who,  finding  it  unintelligible,  grew  up  with  a  sense  that 
a  blow  had  been  struck  wantonly  against  his  mother, 
in  herself  a  model  of  piety  and  Christian  forbearance. 
It  led  him  in  his  youth  to  seek  inspiration  in  those  writ- 
ings which  were  to  her  the  sources  of  joy  and  high  re- 
flection. But  beside  this  inclination  towards  the  liberal 
thought  of  the  day,  there  was  for  many  years  deep 
down  in  his  being  a  repulsion  towards  that  creed  which 
he  then  believed  inevitably  associated  with  actions 
fraught  with  deliberate  ill-will.  In  an  article  in  the 
"Monthly  Religious  Magazine"  for  September,  1845, 
on  "The  Religious  and  Theological  Interests  of  Har- 
vard College,"  he  alludes  to  the  experiences  of  his  boy- 
hood in  seeing  "  a  noble-hearted,  devout  woman,  in  an 
advanced  period  of  her  useful,  honorable  and  bene- 
ficent fife,  on  account  of  a  deliberate  and  well-weighed 
change  of  opinions,  followed  after,  persecuted,  threat- 
ened, warned  by  menaces  most  terrible  to  a  woman's 
sensitive,  trustful,  affectionate  nature,  at  last  roughly 


HERITAGE   AND   YOUTH  15 

excommunicated  from  a  Church  of  which  she  had  been 
for  years  an  untiring  benefactor,  and  which  her  blame- 
less spirit  had  so  long  adorned. 

"  The  tears  and  anxiety  we  used  to  see  with  our  child's 
eyes,  after  those  impudent  deacons  and  sly  ambassa- 
dors, or  their  spiritual  dictator,  had  withdrawn  from  one 
of  those  cruel  interviews,  left  an  impression  that  will  not 
lose  itshorribleness  while  we  remember  anything.  This 
was  in  the  heart  of  our  old  Massachusetts,  in  the 
midst  of  its  hills  and  valleys  and  free  air,  some  of  the 
loveliest  scenery  in  the  world,  indeed,  but  not  beautiful 
enough  to  move  and  soften  the  gloomy  features  of  that 
stern,  forbidding,  unrelenting  Calvinism."  Many  years 
after.  Bishop  Huntington  referred  again  to  this  incident 
in  an  article  entitled  '  From  Puritanism  —  Whither  ? '  ^ 

"  So  the  cruel  Christianity  presented  itself  to  a  very 
juvenile  observer,  somehow,  doubtless  by  the  saintli- 
ness  of  the  victim,  without  twisting  him  into  an  infidel. 

"Instances  of  this  sort  were  neither  very  common 
nor  extremely  rare.  It  is  unfair  to  judge  a  theological 
scheme,  any  more  than  a  tool  in  the  hand,  merely  by 
its  capacity  for  abuse.  We  are  put  here  upon  the  task 
of  defining  the  effect  of  a  religious  institution  and  party 
in  New  England,  at  the  beginning  of  this  century,  on 
a  mind  in  search  of  a  Christian  faith  and  home.  The 
defects  were  not  those  of  unprincipled  intolerance  or 
indifference  to  truth,  but  of  narrowness  and  dispro- 
portion. It  is  impossible  that  any  denomination  built 
on  a  dogma  or  group  of  dogmas,  and  not  on  the  fact  of 
the  life  of  God  manifest  in  the  person  and  acts  of  Christ, 
should  represent  Christianity. 

"  It  may  revere  the  son  of  God  in  one  or  more  of  His 
1  The  Forum,  June,  1886. 


16  FREDERIC   DAN   HUNTINGTON 

offices  or  characters,  but  it  cannot  receive  Him  as  He 
chose  to  call  Himself,  the  son  of  Man.  It  cannot  re- 
unite the  hfe  of  the  human  race  with  God's  life.  It 
cannot  bear  the  test  of  comprehensiveness  or  Catholi- 
city, or  cover  the  experience  of  all  souls  and  nations,  or 
satisfy  the  wants  of  integral  man,  in  spirit,  mind,  body. 
No  great  Christian  cause  has  lived  on  a  subjective 
revelation,  or  a  sentiment,  or  an  idea,  or  the  issue  of  a 
process  of  ratiocination.  Congregational  Orthodoxy 
beheved  in  Christ,  but  it  was  Christ  in  the  past  and  the 
future  and  in  Heaven,  not  where  Hving  and  tempted 
men  most  need  Him." 

This  retrospect  was  in  the  calmer  mood  of  age.  As 
time  passed  much  was  softened  in  connection  with  the 
painful  experience.  In  his  last  years  Rev.  Dan  Hunt- 
ington and  his  daughter  Bethia  were  received  into  full 
participation  with  the  Russell  Church  in  Hadley, 
where  under  a  milder  construction  of  its  tenets  the  old 
clergyman  enjoyed  the  privileges  of  the  Orthodox 
communion  in  which  he  had  been  reared. 

In  "Anniversary  week,"  May,  1831,  then  just  twelve 
years  old,  Frederic  accompanied  his  parents  and  a 
sister  to  the  city,  himself  driving  the  family  "  carryall " 
and  pair  of  horses,  a  leisurely  journey  of  a  hundred 
miles.  One  object  was  to  attend  the  Governor's  elec- 
tion, an  occasion  at  which  Rev.  Mr.  Huntington  him- 
self had  preached  the  sermon  in  1821,  as  he  had  in 
Connecticut  in  1814.  One  of  the  sons,  Jolm  Whiting, 
was  at  this  time  a  student  at  Harvard.  The  mother 
attended  the  philanthropic  gatherings,  especially 
meetings  in  the  interest  of  the  Peace  Movement  and 
Abohtionist  agitation.  The  father  took  his  family  to 
see  his  ministerial  friends,  among  them  the  venerable 


HERITAGE    AND    YOUTH  17 

Eliphalct  Porter,  of  Roxbury,  and  his  young  colleague, 
Rev.  George  Putnam.  Social  visits  were  paid  at  the 
house  of  William  Parsons,  an  eminent  merchant  resid- 
ing on  the  corner  of  South  and  Summer  Streets,  and  a 
connection  by  marriage ;  and  to  Major  Thomas  Melvill, 
in  Green  Street,  who  had  been  a  member  of  the  Boston 
'*  Tea  Party  "  and  is  said  to  have  found  some  of  the  tea 
in  his  boots  afterwards.  He  has  been  remembered  as 
the  last  man  in  the  community  to  wear  smallclothes. 

The  party  returned  to  Hadley  by  way  of  Connecticut, 
making  a  stay  among  the  large  circle  of  Huntington 
kinsfolk  in  Lebanon.  There  were  relatives  in  Norwich 
also  and  among  them  was  Carey  Throop,  an  uncle  of 
Rev.  Dan  Huntington.  One  of  his  townsmen  recalls 
that  when  a  boy  he  was  crossing  Mr.  Throop's  field 
early  one  Lord's  day  and,  meeting  the  old  gentleman, 
inquired  of  him  if  he  had  seen  anything  of  a  swarm  of 
bees  passing  in  that  direction  the  night  before.  Uncle 
Carey  drew  himself  up  to  his  full  and  not  inconsider- 
able height,  and  answered  solemnly,  "Young  man,  I 
am  surprised  that  you  should  speak  of  such  a  thing 
as  bumble-bees  on  Sunday  morning." 

But  in  spite  of  the  serious  views  of  hfe,  and  the  then 
unrelaxed  Puritan  observances,  family  intercourse  on 
the  farm  of  "Forty  Acres,"  as  it  was  originally  called, 
was  happy  and  cheerful.  The  remoteness  of  situation, 
and  perhaps  some  differences  in  religious  sympathy 
with  their  neighbors,  threw  the  children  upon  them- 
selves greatly  for  diversion.  The  only  playfellows 
were  their  cousins  at  "Pine  Grove,"  the  large  house 
lately  erected  by  Major  Phelps  on  the  southern  portion 
of  the  paternal  estate.  Of  the  ten  brothers  and  sisters, 
five  were  still  at  home  when  Frederic  began  to  study 


18  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

Latin  with  his  sister  Bethia.  Three  sons  went  to  Har- 
vard, the  others  to  schools  or  academies  in  neighbor- 
ing towns ;  the  girls  were  sent  to  the  famous  Seminary 
in  Troy,  the  founder  and  head,  Mrs.  Emma  Willard, 
being  a  friend  and  connection.  Her  sister,  Mrs.  Lincoln, 
also  an  accomplished  educator,  married  John  Phelps, 
a  cousin  of  Mrs.  Huntington. 

One  of  the  daughters,  visiting  her  sister  Elizabeth, 
then  married  to  George  Fisher  and  residing  in  Oswego, 
received  from  Frederic  the  following  letter,  which  gives 
a  little  ghmpse  of  the  family  life. 

RIDLEY,  Jan.  14,  1834. 

To  Mary  D wight  Huntington,  Oswego,  N.  Y. 

Dear  Mary :  — Your  letter  to  Theodore  we  received 
to-day. 

In  speaking  of  the  Concert  you  do  not  inform  us 
whether  you  performed  the  Solo  that  you  were  requested 
to  or  not;  though  perhaps  we  ought  to  infer  that  you 
did,  as  a  thing  of  course.  I  am  truly  glad  that  you  have 
an  opportunity  of  exercising  your  singing  powers,  as 
you  appear  to  have  in  the  choir  of  Mr.  Parker.  Last 
evening  Father  and  Mother  went  to  Amherst,  and 
made  Dr.  Humphrey  a  visit.  It  was  a  very  pleasant 
day  and  evening,  indeed  we  have  had  fine  weather  for 
almost  a  fortnight  until  to-day.  It  commenced  raining 
this  morning  and  continues  to  do  so  yet,  so  that  this 
deep  snow  settles,  and  evaporates  quite  fast  at  present. 
It  must  be  a  great  disappointment  to  many,  for  Ed- 
ward who  was  here  last  evening,  told  us  that  he  was 
expecting  with  about  sixty  others  of  the  male  and  fe- 
male gentry  of  Northampton  to  go  to  Springfield  for  a 
sleigh  ride  this  afternoon;    the  young  people  of  the 


HERITAGE    AND    YOUTH  19 

Upper  Mills  also  were  expecting  to  make  up  an  excur- 
sion of  pleasure  to  "  Muddy  Brook,"  but  their  enjoy- 
ments are  nipped  or  rather  dissolved,  I  am  afraid,  by 
this  unexpected  rain. 

Mr.  Harding  called  here  last  night  in  the  evening  and 
remained  till  ten  o'clock  this  morning.  He  has  a  horse 
that  will  match  with  our  grey  colt  and  wishes  to  have 
Pa  and  Theophilus  go  out  there  this  week  and  see  if 
they  can  trade  so  as  to  bring  them  together.  He  wished 
them  to  take  with  them  Bethia  or  Ma.  If  it  should  be 
pleasant  perhaps  they  will  go.  Last  Sunday  we  almost 
all  of  us  attended  meeting  at  the  Mills.  Mr.  Payson 
delivered  two  excellent  sermons,  one  upon  "  The  Good 
Man,"  the  other  upon  "  Covering  Sin." 

Theophilus  and  Theodore  intend  to  worship  at  Had- 
ley  this  year  with  Father.  Mother,  Bethia  and  myself 
intend  to  go  to  Northampton  when  it  is  convenient. 

Uncle  Phelps  is  filling  the  new  ice-house  with  ice 
from  the  river.  Edward  last  week  made  the  family 
here  a  present  of  a  patent  cooking-stove  like  that  which 
Charles  has  in  his  kitchen.  It  is  furnished  with  a  large 
tin  cover  to  bake  under;  a  tin  oven  made  for  the  purpose 
to  set  under  it  and  roast  in;  a  boiler  to  boil  clothes 
in  and  other  boilers;  a  small  crank  turns  any  part  of 
it  near  the  fire  that  may  be  wished.  It  is  perfectly  con- 
venient for  every  purpose  of  cooking  and  a  large  armful 
of  wood  one  and  a  half  feet  long  will  warm  the  kitchen 
as  warm  as  the  sitting  room.  The  settle  stands  before 
the  old  fireplace.  You  can  hardly  imagine  how  differ- 
ently the  kitchen  appears  from  what  it  used  to. 

We  hear  frequently  from  William.  All  well  as  usual 
and  unite  with  sending  love  with  your  brother, 

F.  D.  Huntington. 


20  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

At  the  end  of  the  letter  is  written  in  the  mother's 
handwriting :  — 

Dear  Mart  :  — If  you  find  yourself  in  need  of  any 
article  of  dress  and  your  purse  has  become  empty,  let 
us  know,  and  we  will  endeavor  to  supply  you  with  cash, 
for  though  we  have  nothing  to  waste  in  ornament  and 
superfluities,  thanks  to  our  great  Benefactor,  we  have 
enough  to  make  us  comfortable.  Far  more  of  this 
world's  goods  than  was  sufficient  for  Him  who  came 
from  heaven  to  show  us  the  w^ay  thither. 

Surely  we  may  well  blush  at  the  shameful  distance,  at 
which  we  follow  Him. 

With  much  love  to  parents  and  children,  and  dear 
Mary, 

from  her  mother, 

E.  W.  H. 

The  gray  colt  referred  to  was  probably  matched,  for 
a  pair  of  white  horses  grew  old  in  the  service  and  on  one 
occasion  took  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Huntington  on  a  journey 
to  Oswego  and  back,  to  visit  their  daughter  and  her 
family  there.  The  barouche  in  which  they  drove  was 
preserved  until  a  later  generation,  large,  roomy,  and 
with  steps  to  let  down  and  fold  up  again,  the  delight  of 
the  grandchildren.  The  ride  of  five  miles  to  North- 
ampton, to  church  or  visiting,  was  more  of  a  circum- 
stance in  those  days  than  now.  In  Frederic's  childhood 
a  bridge,  with  its  curved  floor  of  ancient  pattern, 
spanned  the  Connecticut  River  at  the  south  end  of  the 
farm,  led  across  to  Hatfield,  and  so  by  a  good  road  to 
the  county  town.  But  tliis  bridge  was  burned  and 
never  replaced,  and  for  many  years  after  travelers  were 


HERITAGE   AND    YOUTH  21 

obliged  to  take  a  ferry  at  the  end  of  Hadley  street.  A 
Boston  and  Albany  stage  passed  through  the  village 
to  Northampton  and  thence  westward,  and  by  this 
and  the  Erie  Canal  visits  between  the  households  in 
Hadley  and  Oswego  were  exchanged. 

The  boys'  occupations  were  various.  They  made  ex- 
periments in  the  culture  of  bees  and  they  seem  to  have 
attempted  the  cultivation  of  peanuts,  —  sending  orders 
for  them  and  for  horse-chestnuts  in  the  letters  to  Bos- 
ton, which  traveled  then  usually  by  private  hand,  and 
getting  them  fulfilled  through  some  obliging  neighbor. 

The  "Farmer's  Almanac"  was  eagerly  welcomed 
and  read.  Regular  work  out  of  doors  was  expected  of 
them  and  this  was  seldom  distasteful  to  Frederic,  who 
all  his  life  recalled  with  enthusiasm  the  days  spent  on 
the  slopes  of  the  hills,  on  the  breezy  meadows,  or  in  the 
woods  in  winter. 

In  cold  weather  he  helped  in  cutting  and  drawing  the 
firewood  for  the  house,  often  taking  entire  charge  of 
two  "yoke"  of  oxen,  driving  the  teams  down  the 
mountain  side,  —  unloading  and  returning.  At  one 
time  it  was  bark  for  the  tannery  which  he  hauled  daily 
from  the  clearing  to  Fort  River  at  the  south.  Years 
later,  making  an  address  before  an  agricultural  so- 
ciety, Mr.  Huntington  said:  "I  rode  plough,  as  they 
say,  a  good  many  times  round  before  I  ever  stepped  into 
a  pulpit,  —  retaining  to  this  day  an  especially  clear 
recollection  of  being  pitched  over  the  horse's  neck 
once,  in  a  great  quagmire,  at  the  foot  of  Mt.  Warner 
yonder,  —  a  sort  of  '  slough  of  despond '  which  my 
father,  with  no  despondency  at  all,  but  notions  that 
seemed  to  me,  at  the  time,  excessively  Utopian,  insisted 
on  converting  into  an  arable  cornfield,  making  us  boys 


22  FREDERIC   DAN   HUNTINGTON 

partial  instruments  in  the  work;  and  long  before  I 
began  to  dig  roots  in  the  Greek  Grammar,  under  Pro- 
fessor Tyler,  in  term-time,  I  used  to  weed  ruta-bagas  in 
vacation." 

His  earliest  letter  to  a  sister,  at  the  age  of  nine,  says : 
"To-day  I  have  been  ploughing  the  piece  under  the 
bank  with  the  black  colt  alone." 

Besides  this  active  physical  exercise  the  deeper  as- 
pects of  nature  undoubtedly  made  an  impression  upon 
the  contemplative  mind  of  a  boy  developing  under 
such  influences.  He  ever  counted  it  one  of  the  chief 
blessings  in  his  lot  that  the  wonderful  beauty  of  the 
valley  of  his  birth  and  the  graceful  and  imposing  fea- 
tures of  its  scenery  were  so  familiar  to  him.  The  dis- 
tinct outlines  and  forest-clad  summits  of  Mount  Hol- 
yoke  and  Tom  on  the  south,  of  Toby  and  Sugarloaf  on 
the  north;  the  long  ranges  of  hills  rising  one  behind 
another  to  the  westward  across  the  winding  Connecti- 
cut ;  the  luxuriant  loveliness  of  the  meadows,  with  their 
magnificent  elms ;  the  surpassing  splendor  of  the  sun- 
sets and  the  majesty  of  the  thunder  clouds ;  —  all  these 
bred  in  him  an  abiding  love  of  the  nobler  features  of 
the  world  around.  Throughout  his  life  his  intense 
enjoyment  of  such  scenes  amounted  to  a  passion. 

In  contrast  to  this  existence  of  enjoyment,  and  per- 
haps owing  to  a  sensitive  disposition,  there  were  phases 
of  morbid  apprehension  unusual  in  a  child,  but  which, 
in  the  form  of  nervous  imagination  connected  with 
disease,  occured  at  periods  throughout  his  life.  When 
only  twelve  years  old  he  was  possessed  in  this  way,  and 
replying  to  what  was  perhaps  good-natured  raillery 
from  his  brother  at  college,  he  says :  — 

"  Your  subject  for  me  to  write  to  you  upon,  I  think 


HERITAGE    AND    YOUTH  23 

was,  '  What  is  the  best  cure  for  Hypo  ? '  I  do  not  think 
there  is  any  use  in  trying  to  get  rid  of  it  before  the  time 
comes." 

His  mother  calls  these  "fidgety  fears,"  but  they 
were  so  real  to  the  child  that  he  never  forgot  the  dis- 
tress he  suffered  in  the  spring  of  1830.  It  took  one 
form  as  a  dread  of  being  poisoned,  especially  through 
food  which  might  have  been  contaminated  with  his 
touch,  a  premonition  of  the  infection  of  microbes,  then 
probably  unheard  of.  After  he  had  washed  his  hands 
before  meals,  his  little  sister,  knowing  his  apprehension, 
would  open  all  the  doors  for  him  until  he  reached  the 
table.  This  especial  folly  was  cured  by  heroic  treat- 
ment. One  evening  at  supper,  he  had  consumed  the 
usual  tale  of  doughnuts  prompted  by  a  boy's  healthy 
appetite,  tucking  under  the  rim  of  the  tea-tray,  as  too 
fatal  to  swallow,  each  end  which  he  had  held  in  his 
fingers.  By  some  chance  his  mother  became  aware  of 
the  expedient  for  avoiding  contamination.  She  imme- 
diately filled  a  cup  with  milk,  broke  into  it  the  rejected 
food  and  bade  him  eat  it.  With  only  a  mournful 
"  Mother,  I  will  do  it,  but  I  shall  die,"  he  obeyed. 

It  was,  of  course,  the  end  of  this  particular  phase  of 
the  malady,  but  perhaps  in  consequence,  his  parents 
in  the  summer  of  1831  gave  him  an  opportunity  for 
change  of  scene  by  accepting  an  invitation  for  him  to 
visit  his  brother,  and  take  lessons  in  Latin  and  math- 
ematics, in  the  neighboring  town«of  Northampton.  The 
eldest  son  had  settled  there,  opened  a  law  oflSce  and 
begun  that  honorable  career,  which  was  summed  up  in 
later  times  by  Judge  Hoar,  in  his  reminiscences  of  the 
Anti-Slavery  party,  where  he  speaks  of  "  Charles  Hunt- 
ington, the  Judge,  the  Advocate,  the  stainless  gentle- 


24  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

man."  This  young  man  had  married  early  a  daughter 
of  Elisha  Hunt  Mills,  one  of  the  conspicuous  citizens 
of  the  town,  and  not  long  after  built  liimself  a  house 
at  the  foot  of  Round  Hill.  It  was  through  this  home, 
in  what  was  one  of  the  most  delightful  towns  in  New 
England,  the  seat  of  unusual  culture,  taste,  and  refine- 
ment, that  the  young  people  of  the  Hadley  farm  found 
their  pleasantest  social  connections. 

But  at  the  age  of  twelve  Frederic  was  too  young  to 
reaHze  anything  but  the  absence  from  his  home.  He 
was  pitifully  unhappy.  In  a  letter  to  his  sister  Mary  at 
school  her  mother  says:  "When  we  left  Frederic  he 
looked  very  sorry.  He  feels  it  a  great  evil  that  he  can- 
not live  at  home,  but  your  Pa  has  told  him  that  it  may 
be  possible  he  may  not  have  to  stay  there  longer  than 
you  are  at  Troy  and  that  has  given  him  some  reUef." 
Writing  himself  to  Mary  he  says  of  his  homesickness, 
"  I  find  that  the  best  w  ay  to  get  rid  of  it  is  to  keep  em- 
ployed about  something." 

Before  many  months  passed  his  parents  decided 
wdsely  not  to  insist  upon  a  separation  wliich  really 
brought  suffering.  In  July  his  brother  Jolm  Wliiting 
died  suddenly  at  home,  a  few  days  before  the  time  set 
for  him  to  graduate  from  Harvard  College.  The  young 
man  had  shown  great  promise,  was  of  an  elevated  and 
serious  disposition,  and  seems  to  have  had  an  unusual 
influence  in  his  brief  career. 

In  a  letter  to  their  mother  from  Cambridge,  seven 
years  after,  Frederic  writes :  — 

"  I  met  lately  w^ith  a  very  affectionate  and  touching 
tribute  to  the  character  of  our  Whiting.  Among  w^hat 
are  called  the  Bowdoin  Prize  Dissertations,  bound  and 
preserved  in  the  College  Library,  is  one  by  Bellows, 


HERITAGE    AND    YOUTH  25 

now  of  New  York,  written  during  the  year  after  he 
graduated.  On  a  blank  leaf  of  the  manuscript  he  had 
written  the  following  words :  — 

*'  '  In  secret  memorial  of  a  man  of  undefiled  heart, 
sound  mind  and  gentle  manners,  cut  off  in  the  dew  of 
youth  devoted  to  God  and  usefulness,  —  This  humble 
effort  of  one  whom  he  loved  and  labored  to  benefit  is 
dedicated  to  the  memory  of  John  Whiting  Huntington, 
classmate  and  chum  of  the  author.' 

"  It  implies,  what  I  suppose  is  very  true,  that  Mr. 
Bellows  ascribes  his  first  religious  impressions,  that 
have  led  him  to  his  present  useful  and  distinguished 
position,^  to  the  example  and  efforts  of  his  room- 
mate." 

Up  to  1831  the  education  of  the  young  children  had 
been  at  home  under  the  supervision  of  father,  mother, 
and  an  older  sister.  Later  in  life  Frederic  expressed 
his  gratitude  for  the  care  thus  given  him,  and  attributed 
largely  to  it  his  love  of  study  and  of  letters.  Learning 
was  a  pleasure  and  he  was  early  inspired  with  a  desire 
to  become  wise,  not  for  the  sake  of  competition,  for 
there  was  none,  but  for  its  own  reward.  It  was  the 
habit  of  the  entire  family  to  spend  their  leisure  hours 
in  reading.  They  were  supplied  with  the  best  books  of 
the  day  and  with  standard  literature.  He  says  himself: 

"I  began  to  read  Channing's  and  Dewey's  and 
Martineau's  writings  when  I  was  a  child.  Living  in  the 
country,  I  read  them  often  in  the  open  air,  and  they 
are  associated  with  running  streams  in  the  woods,  with 
apple  blossoms,  with  clear  hill  tops,  and  with  wide  spaces 
of  earth  and  sky.  To  these  thoughtful  and  devout  au- 
thors I  have  always  felt  more  indebted,  perhaps,  for 
1  Rev.  Henry  W.  Bellows,  D.D. 


26  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

first  arousing  the  life  of  my  mind  and  heart  than  to 
any  others,  except  the  inspired  men  of  the  Bible,  and 
Sir  Thomas  Browne  and  Burke  and  De  Quincey.  It 
was  because,  Hke  many  others,  I  found  them  when  I 
seemed  to  need  them.  Parted  from  their  guidance 
afterwards,  in  interpreting  some  of  the  great  meanings  of 
revelation  and  history,  I  yet  have  never  forgotten 
my  unpaid  obhgation." 

When  Mary  and  Frederic  entered  school  they  at- 
tended Hopkins  Academy  in  Hadley,  generally  walking 
the  two  miles  morning  and  evening  and  carrying  their 
luncheon.  This  historic  seat  of  learning  was  founded 
from  a  fund  left  by  Gov.  Edward  Hopkins  of  Connecti- 
cut, whose  wife  was  the  daughter  of  David  Yale,  for 
whose  grandson,  Elihu  Yale,  Yale  College  was  named. 
The  apportionment  of  the  bequest  to  the  town  of  Had- 
ley was  made  through  the  influential  settler,  William 
Goodwin,  for  whom  the  present  village  library  is 
named.  The  instruction  in  the  academy  was  good. 
Rev.  Dan  Huntington  was  at  one  time  a  preceptor,  as 
were  also  other  men  of  learning,  and  young  people 
from  neighboring  towns  were  attracted  thither  in  con- 
sequence. It  was  there  that  Frederic  made  his  prepa- 
ration for  college,  with  but  one  intermission  which 
occured  in  the  following  manner:  In  the  summer  of 
1834,  in  a  pubhc  examination,  the  boy  lost  his  pre- 
sence of  mind  during  a  recitation  from  Cicero's  Orations 
and  his  memory  suddenly  forsook  him.  One  of  the 
blunders  he  always  vividly  recalled,  was  in  the  nomina- 
tive singular  of  the  substantive  legibus.  After  several 
mistakes  and  guesses  he  gave  it  up,  to  the  great  morti- 
fication of  his  father,  one  of  the  examiners.  Such  a 
derehction  in  a  pupil  who  had  been  well  grounded  in 


HERITAGE    AND    YOUTH  27 

Latin  was  deemed  to  merit  pointed  rebuke,  and  Fred- 
eric was  told  that  he  might  pass  the  next  few  months 
as  a  merchant's  clerk  in  the  employ  of  his  brother 
Edward  in  Northampton.  This  edict  implied  a  for- 
feiture, perhaps  forever,  of  a  scholar's  life,  and  was  a 
severe  blow  to  an  ambitious  and  really  studious 
youth.  But  after  having  submitted  to  the  discipline 
and  proved  his  attachment  to  the  classics  by  devot- 
ing his  leisure  hours  to  Virgil,  he  was  allowed  to  come 
home  in  November  and  for  the  rest  of  the  winter  his 
father  himself  superintended  his  lessons.  If  this  was 
too  stern  dealing  with  the  result  of  a  momentary 
embarrassment,  it  nevertheless  had  the  effect  of  en- 
hancing the  value  of  learning  to  the  boy,  who  found 
himself  deprived  of  the  opportunities  hitherto  freely 
accorded  him.  His  purposes  were  concentrated  and 
after  a  further  term  at  the  academy,  with  some 
exercises  in  algebra  and  Greek  under  his  brother 
WiUiam,  then  practicing  medicine  in  Hadley,  he 
was  easily  fitted  for  entrance  to  Amherst  College  in 
July. 

Before  we  chronicle  his  departure  from  the  home 
which  in  its  associations  was  to  be  endeared  to  him 
for  sixty  years  more,  we  pause  to  give  its  picture  in  his 
own  words  written  in  old  age. 

"The  outward  frame  and  scene  survive  still,  with 
nearly  unchanged  features,  in  a  New  England  valley; 
domicile,  old-fashioned  furniture,  open  fireplaces  and 
andirons,  the  clock  that  has  ticked  the  seconds  of  a 
Century  and  closed  many  a  frohc  of  children  with 
the  stroke  of  nine;  garret,  cellar,  Indian  relics,  elm 
trees,  garden,  well,  orchard,  cornfields;  the  brook 
behind  the  hill,  the  indoor  heirlooms  of  six  genera- 


28  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

tions,  all  invested  and  hallowed  with  traditions  and 
reminiscences  that  repeople  every  nook  and  comer 
of  the  place  and  bring  tears  to  the  eyes." 

Even  the  homely  toil,  performed  as  it  was  in  those 
days  by  mothers  and  daughters  bred  in  dignity  and 
refinement,  assisted  by  handmaids  reared  in  the  house, 
had  its  aroma  of  poetry.  Writing,  when  a  Boston 
clergyman,  to  his  sister,  in  remonstrance  against  some 
proposed  household  changes,  he  said :  "  But  as  to  the 
old  kitchen  and  all  that,  —  that  is  a  matter  that 
touches  me  in  a  vital  point.  Can  it  be  that  I  am  to 
see  those  dear  old  nooks  and  corners  in  their  wonted 
position  never  again  ?  Potash  kettle !  Buttery !  Milk- 
room!  Precious,  venerable,  beloved,  hallowed  by  a 
thousand  tender  associations  and  sacred  recollections. 
Am  I  to  see  you  no  more  as  you  were,  wearing  the 
familiar  and  homelike  look,  —  forever  ? 

"  I  tell  you,  Bethia,  it  is  a  very  serious  matter.  Did 
I  not  use  to  take  sweet  and  holy  counsel  with  the  best 
and  purest  of  mothers,  by  the  twilight,  many  and 
many  a  time,  in  that  shady  old  milk-room  ?  Milton 
may  talk  about  the  dim  religious  light  of  Gothic 
cloisters;  it  never  was  half  as  impressive  as  the  light 
that  used  to  shine  in  at  sundown,  not  exactly,  to  be 
sure,  '  thro'  storied  windows  richly  dight,'  but  through 
panes  stained  with  age  as  art  could  not  do  it.  I  say 
again  nobody  has  any  business  to  meddle  with  those 
walls." 

The  festival  of  Thanksgiving,  enjoyed  by  a  large 
family,  on  the  generous  scale  with  which  the  house- 
hold had  always  been  maintained,  was  one  which  he 
never  ceased  to  recall  with  pleasure.  The  preparation, 
for  days,  the  initiatory  feast  of  chicken  pie  the  night 


HERITAGE    AND    YOUTH  29 

before,  the  bewildering  variety  spread  on  the  festal 
board,  the  roasting  turkey  suspended  from  the  big 
fireplace,  the  table  full  of  sons  and  daughters  gath- 
ered to  give  thanks  —  he  held  "  a  picture  of  that  de- 
parted jubilee  among  the  treasures  of  a  grateful 
memory." 

It  was  a  home  of  which  religion  was  the  mainspring. 
The  mother  especially  felt  an  obligation  to  keep  fasts 
as  well  as  feasts,  although  the  strict  following  of  Cal- 
vinistic  observances  had  been  set  aside.  Her  daily 
intercourse  with  the  Almighty  inspired  the  round  of 
care,  and  with  prayer  was  mingled  praise.  Sunday 
evenings  she  would  sing  hymns,  to  the  accompani- 
ment of  a  guitar. 

In  the  records  of  the  Evangelical  Association  of  a 
neighboring  county  it  appears  that  its  members  met 
at  the  house  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Huntington  of  Hadley. 
The  morning  sessions  were  held  at  sunrise.  This  little 
knot  of  earnest  believers,  following  a  way  which  seemed 
to  them  to  lead  into  fuller  truth,  thus  imitated  the 
example  of  the  primitive  Christians.  At  one  of  these 
gatherings  at  Northampton  in  1827,  "  Mr.  Huntington 
acted  as  Moderator  and  opened  the  meeting  with 
prayer.  Mr.  R.  W.  Emerson  preached  from  the  text, 
'Pray  without  ceasing.'  " 

In  a  letter  to  liis  wife  from  New  York  Mr.  Hun- 
tington says : — 

"  I  was  told,  I  suppose  it  was  to  inflate  my  vanity, 
that  yesterday  I  had  a  fuller  house  than  had  ever  at- 
tended the  preaching  of  any  other  man  in  it,  except 
Dr.  Channing.  I  presume  it  was  accident.  I  have  not 
the  most  distant  thought  that  the  preaching  of  the  old 
Hadley  plough-jogger  can  have  in  it  anything  very 


80  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

enchanting  in  the  City  of  New  York,  and  why  I  am 
here  I  absolutely  know  not.  But  here  I  am,  and 
whatever  I  am  and  whatever  I  have  I  will  endeavor 
to  devote  to  the  service  of  my  blessed  Lord  and 
Master." 

In  1835,  at  sixteen  years  of  age,  Frederic  was  ad- 
mitted, by  the  Rev.  Oliver  Stearns,  into  communion 
with  the  Church  of  Christ,  in  Northampton,  where  he 
had  been  brought  up  under  the  preaching  of  the  Rev. 
E.  B.  Hall,  for  many  years  the  family  pastor.  This 
step  was  taken  deliberately.  It  had  been  often  affec- 
tionately and  solemnly  urged  by  his  mother,  whose 
constant  prayer  for  her  children,  that  their  souls  might 
be  awakened  to  the  spiritual  life,  was  answered  in  the 
case  of  every  one ;  all  but  the  youngest  daughter,  who 
died  at  the  age  of  thirteen,  becoming  open  witnesses 
to  their  faith. 

Frederic  was  from  his  earliest  infancy  a  child  of  the 
covenant,  brought  up  as  a  member  of  the  visible 
church,  and  this  act  of  communion  with  the  Christian 
body  in  which  he  had  been  nurtured  was  natural  and 
harmonious.  That  it  proved  a  strong  security  we  have 
his  own  testimony,  though  his  temperament  and  dis- 
position led  him  easily  towards  moral  excellence. 
Doubtless  his  high  purposes  were  largely  due  to  the 
fact  that  he  lived  much  in  the  companionship  of  older 
persons,  themselves  of  elevated  character.  This  in- 
fluence, of  which  he  was  aware,  led  him  to  the  pre- 
paration of  a  manual  for  teachers  which  has  been 
probably  more  widely  read  than  any  other  of  his  pub- 
lished writings.  In  "Unconscious  Tuition"  he  em- 
bodied his  own  experiences  as  well  as  his  established 
theories  on  an  important  side  of  education.   In  his  own 


HERITAGE    AND    YOUTH  31 

home  neither  corporal  nor  any  degrading  punishment 
was  found  necessary;  the  teachings  pervading  it 
were  good  examples  and  pure  conversation,  the  com- 
panionship of  gentle  sisters,  honorable  brothers,  a 
wise  father,  and  a  dear  and  holy  mother  whose 
intercessions  never  ceased  to  be  offered  for  her 
children. 

Notwithstanding  all  these  safeguards,  no  youth 
who  is  allowed  any  liberty  can  grow  up  without  some 
exposure  to  evil.  One  summer,  an  evil-minded  com- 
panion was  thrown  much  in  the  boy's  way  and  this 
and  one  or  two  similar  experiences  in  college  caused 
him  to  look  back  with  repugnance  to  what  came  near 
becoming  sources  of  hidden  corruption.  But  owing 
to  the  more  beneficent  influences  over  him  he  came  out 
of  the  trial  with  a  strengthened  integrity. 

The  question  as  to  the  choice  of  a  college  was  left 
undecided  up  to  the  last  moment.  EUzabeth  Hunt- 
ington, who  had  already  sent  six  sons  out  into  the 
world,  showed  an  unusual  reluctance  to  part  with  this 
one.  It  might  have  been  that  the  loss  of  his  little  sister 
Catherine  caused  her  to  cling  more  closely  to  her 
youngest  child.  But  she  dreaded  to  have  him  exposed 
to  new  impressions  in  a  distant  place.  One  who  prays 
for  her  loved  ones  with  such  constant  and  personal 
intercessions  as  hers  is  gifted  with  deep  spiritual 
insight,  but  there  was  much  that  was  especially  sym- 
pathetic in  mother  and  son.  He  had  inherited  that 
longing  to  get  away  from  one's  fellows  which  sent  his 
great-grandfather,  Charles  Phelps,  from  the  busy  town 
up  to  the  Vermont  hills.  Frederic  said  himself  of  his 
boyhood,  that  although  living  in  the  companionship 
of  others  he  spent  days  in  a  sense  of  solitude.    These 


32  FREDERIC   DAN   HUNTINGTON 

moods  went  with  him  through  Hfe  and  gave  him  his 
strong  distaste  to  pubUcity,  to  crowds  and  functions 
and  external  expressions  of  the  deep  reahties,.  The 
austerity  of  a  long  line  of  Puritan  forefathers  had  left 
its  impress.  And  to  one  who  watched  with  a  mother's 
solicitude,  the  first  contact  of  such  a  nature  with 
the  great  world  of  humanity  was  a  critical  time.  It 
was  not  strange  that  she  desired  to  keep  a  lad  of 
sixteen  under  her  own  influence  until  he  became  more 
mature. 

Therefore,  after  some  deliberation,  his  parents  de- 
cided that  he  should  enter  Amherst  College,  not  more 
than  three  miles  distant.  His  three  elder  brothers  had 
all  attended  Harvard  College,  and  the  tendencies  of  the 
family  were  so  distinctively  hberal  that  the  choice 
of  a  stronghold  of  orthodox  congregational  theology 
seemed  unusual.  However  it  may  be,  his  own  love  of 
home  coincided  with  the  choice,  and  gave  him  for  four 
years  longer  that  free  enjoyment  of  rural  life  which 
ever  distinguished  him.  At  the  same  time  his  social 
instincts  were  so  naturally  expanded,  under  the  genial 
associations  of  college  life,  that  the  periods  of  painful 
isolation  of  spirits  from  w^hich  he  suffered  in  his  boy- 
hood seemed  to  pass  away. 

The  day  after  the  determination  was  made,  he  was 
examined,  by  special  permission,  and  admitted  to 
Amherst  College,  with  the  class  of  1839.  He  passed 
the  three  months  of  subsequent  leisure,  largely  on  the 
farm,  in  out-of-door  work,  which  was  ever  a  congenial 
occupation,  in  company  with  his  brothers,  Theophilus 
and  Theodore. 

A  few  days  after  his  final  departure  from  home  his 
mother  writes :  — 


HERITAGE    AND   YOUTH  33 

Elm  Valley,  Oct.  3,  1835, 

Thursday  evening. 

To  Frederic  D.  Huntington,  Student,  Amherst 
College. 

My  dear  Frederic:  — I  am  going  to  do  what  I  recom- 
mend to  you  to  do,  keep  a  sort  of  record  of  the  events 
of  the  day;  and  when  I  have  a  convenient  opportunity 
send  it  to  you,  that  you  may  not  lose  all  knowledge  of 
us,  or  interest  in  us.  We  have  visited  you  several 
times  to-day  in  spirit,  and  in  conversation,  and  I  ima- 
gine you  have  arranged  your  furniture,  and  swept  and 
dusted  your  room  and  find  yourself  with  your  room- 
mate very  comfortably  situated,  and  ready  and  able 
to  go  on  with  your  studies  to  advantage.  I  am  quite 
happy  in  the  persuasion ;  because  we  read  in  the  Book 
of  books,  this  direction  and  promise  united :  *'  Commit 
thy  way  unto  the  Lord  and  he  shall  give  thee  the  desire 
of  thy  heart;  in  all  thy  ways  acknowledge  Him  and 
He  shall  direct  thy  paths." 

The  two  brothers  have  gone  into  town  to  collect, 
if  they  can,  seventy  persons  who  will  be  willing  to 
unite  in  forming  a  singing-school  to  be  taught  by  Mr. 
Kingsley.  Your  father  is  quite  down  with  a  cold,  is 
now  sitting  by  the  kitchen  fire  to  avoid  the  chattering 
of  five  females;  yes,  five  without  your  mother;  by 
this  you  will  understand  that  Mary  and  Harriet  Mills 
returned  before  dinner  with  Theophilus  who  went  this 
morning  to  Northampton  on  business. 

Saturday  evening:  half  past  ten.  All  gone  to  bed  in 
peace  and  comfort;  what  obligations  are  we  under  to 
our  guide  by  day  and  our  guard  by  night !  the  pillar  of 
cloud  and  the  pillar  of  fire  that  attend  us,  tho*  too  often 
unnoticed. 


34  FREDERIC   DAN   HUNTINGTON 

We  miss  you  often  at  our  social  meals,  and  our 
social  fireside;  at  the  morning  and  evening  sacrifice, 
and  also  as  we  gather  around  our  Saturday  evening 
table,  with  our  religious  books,  and  elevating  employ- 
ment. But  thanks  to  God,  we  would  not  mourn  your 
absence;  we  may  hope  for  a  meeting  in  this  life.  Some 
of  our  members  have  reached  the  end  of  their  journey, 
when  it  was  but  just  begun ;  and  we  are  permitted  to 
think  of  them  as  the  inhabitants  of  a  world  of  purity 
and  peace  and  love,  where  no  discordant  passions 
agitate  the  bosom,  and  no  doubts  or  fears  interrupt  the 
Communion  of  the  blessed  society  —  May  the  Lord 
of  the  Sabbath  give  us  all  a  Sabbath  blessing! 

On  Saturday  afternoon  our  girls,  Harriet,  Eliza- 
beth,^ and  Mary  visited  Mt.  Warner.  For  want  of  a 
better  conveyance  they  rode  with  Theodore  part  of  the 
way  in' the  old  red  wagon.  Elizabeth  came  home  much 
delighted  with  the  refreshing  sight  of  the  Colleges  and 
particularly  of  the  door  of  the  Chapel,  as  she  thought 
possibly  you  might  be  standing  in  it.  Wednesday 
forenoon:  This  morning  your  father,  Theophilus,  and 
Ben  have  gone  to  the  mountain  to  pick  up  apples. 
Theodore  stayed  at  home,  is  husking  com,  I  believe. 
Your  father  and  mother  last  night  had  an  invitation 
to  drink  tea  this  evening  with  widow  Major  Smith,  in 
company  with  Doctor  Brown  and  lady.  This  morning 
Mrs.  Doctor  Porter  sent  a  note  requesting  our  com- 
pany and  Bethia's  at  their  house  to  meet  friends  at 
tea  to-day,  —  what  a  pity,  as  calls  of  this  kind  are  so 
rare,  that  there  should  be  two  for  the  same  time! 

I  intend  to  leave  tliis  at  Dr.  Porter's  store,  to  be  sent 
to  you.  I  hope  soon  to  receive  a  long  letter  from  you. 
^  Elizabeth  Fisher  —  a  granddaughter. 


HERITAGE    AND    YOUTH  35 

I  feel  a  kind  of  satisfaction  in  the  tho't  that  your  writ- 
ing desk  is  the  same  which  was  used  by  your  brother, 
who  is  now  a  glorified  spirit,  and  is  perhaps  permitted, 
as  he  himself  hoped  might  be  the  case,  to  witness  your 
faithful  efforts  in  duty,  and  even  assist  you  in  the 
arduous  work. 

With  the  most  earnest  desire  for  your  happiness 
and  improvement, 

I  am  as  ever  your  aifectionate  mother, 

Elizabeth. 

In  February  Frederic  received  his  first  letter  from 
his  father. 

"  Why  may  I  not  have  the  pleasure  of  writing  a  little 
letter  ?  But  this  is  a  pleasure,  I  believe,  which  I  have 
never  yet  had.  And  though  I  do  not  remember  that  you 
have  ever  asked  me  to  write,  I  have  not  a  single  doubt 
but  you  will  be  just  as  glad  to  have  me.  Where  there 
is  a  well-regulated  affection,  such  as  I  hope  subsists 
among  the  several  branches  of  our  family,  formality, 
jealousy,  distrust,  and  indifference  can  have  no  place. 
And  because,  in  your  absence  from  us,  Providence  has 
kindly  cast  your  lot  not  far  from  home,  am  I,  on  this 
account,  never  to  have  the  pleasure  of  writing  you  or 
receiving  a  letter  from  you  ^  This  would  be  making  a 
wrong  use  of  the  indulgence.  And  though  I  hear  no 
bad  account  of  you,  in  your  absence  —  no  idleness,  pro- 
fligacy, insubordination,  vice  of  any  kind,  nor  want  of 
scholarship,  nor  even  of  heresy,  I  cannot  persuade 
myself  that  this  is  any  reason  why  I  should  not  now 
and  then  take  pen  in  hand,  and  be  a  little  sociable,  if 
it  is  only  to  encourage  you  in  the  way  of  well  doing. 
Mount  Warner,  with  its  formidable  heio^hts,  indeed 


36  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

may  lie  between  us ;  but  even  these  may  be  surmounted. 
Tho'ts  are  free  as  air.  We  may  send  them  over  moun- 
tains, across  oceans  and  deserts,  to  the  ends  of  the  earth, 
to  the  stars  and  to  the  end  of  time,  in  an  instant." 

The  sly  allusion  to  heresy  was  characteristic  of  the 
old  gentleman,  whose  turn  for  pleasantry  was  far  more 
in  evidence  than  any  really  controversial  spirit.  In 
point  of  fact  Frederic's  position  as  the  only  Unitarian, 
with  the  exception  of  his  roommate,  in  the  whole 
college,  was  never  in  any  way  a  marked  one.  So  far 
from  finding  himself  an  object  of  suspicion,  he  always 
expressed  gratitude  for  the  circumstances  of  his  college 
career.  The  fact  that  in  his  religious  opinions  he  stood 
alone  had  a  tendency  to  redouble  his  efforts  towards 
scholarship  and  exemplary  conduct.  He  was  always 
treated  with  courtesy  by  the  faculty.  After  the  first 
months  his  Sundays  were  largely  passed  with  his 
family,  when  he  accompanied  them  to  their  place  of 
worship  in  Northampton. 

On  the  other  hand,  a  few  years  after,  he  refers  in  a 
letter  to  his  mother  to  a  threatened  act  of  neighbor- 
hood oppression,  and  the  playful  allusions  are  an  evi- 
dence of  the  good-humored  spirit  of  tolerance  for 
ecclesiastical  ostracism  which  prevailed  in  the  house- 
hold. When  the  new  bridge  was  erected  over  the 
Connecticut  a  question  arose  as  to  collecting  tolls  on 
Sunday.  To  the  Huntington  family,  who  drove  back 
and  forth  each  week  to  church  across  the  river,  the 
exaction  seemed  unnecessary  and  arbitrary. 

Undoubtedly  with  the  village  people  this  remon- 
strance was  less  to  be  considered  because  of  the  feeling 
excited  by  having  a  household  of  some  prominence 
pass  the  meeting-house  and  go  on  to  an  alien  place  of 


HERITAGE    AND    YOUTH  37 

worship.  A  contemporary  used  to  recall  to  her  grand- 
children seeing  the  large  carriage  drive  down  the 
West  street  and  turn  into  the  Northampton  road,  and 
it  aroused  a  sense  of  religious  differences  which  in 
those  days  were  far  more  keenly  deplored  than  at 
present. 

"You  speak  of  Colonel  ,  and  his   Httle-souled 

coadjutors.  Probably  he  feels,  when  he  has  turned 
upon  us  the  key  of  that  toll-gate,  like  another  St.  Peter 
who  has  laudably  locked  out  a  reprobate  from  Paradise. 
There  is  a  bridge  that  Milton  speaks  of — 

"  '  Of  wondrous  length, 

From  hell  continued  reaching  to  the  orb 

Of  this  frail  world;   which  the  spirits  perverse 

With  easy  intercourse  pass  to  and  fro. 

—  except  whom  God  and  good  angels  guard  by  special  grace.' 

"  For  this  bridge  I  presume  he  would  admire  to  give 
us  a  contract  gratis,  and  probably  he  thinks  it  is  the 
only  one  we  have  a  right  to  pass.  However,  as  you 
say,  if  we  trust  Providence  perhaps  he  will  provide  a 
passage  way,  when  *the  pure  keen  air,'  'the  piercing 
spirit  of  the  North'  shall  visit  us  unjust  as  the  just, 
*and  the  incrusted  surface  shall  upbear  our  steps.' 
Why  might  not  we  give  ice  a  new  name,  and  call  it 
the  heretics'  bridge  ?  " 

His  father  continues  his  epistle,  filling  three  pages 
with  excellent  advice. 

"In  the  multiphcity  of  your  engagements,  give 
yourself  time  to  think.  Think  a  great  deal  and  think 
closely  —  when  you  read,  lay  by  your  book  and  think 
what  you  have  been  over  —  think  what  you  have 
heard  and  seen,  in  the  common  intercourse  of  life." 

The   system   of  instruction   in   that   day  was   not 


38  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

adapted  to  lead  the  mind  from  the  technicaHties  of 
grammar  and  text-book  to  the  higher  play  of  thought 
and  imagination.  In  later  reminiscences  the  student 
of  the  "thirties"  was  wont  to  describe  the  barren 
and  mechanical  field  on  which  classical  literature  and 
liistory  were  pursued.  Not  a  word  of  illustration  or 
reference  was  added  to  the  subject  to  arouse  that 
interest  which  gives  so  largely  the  charm  to  a  modern 
lecture  room. 

At  an  alumni  dinner  Dr.  Huntington  told  the  tale 
of  one  unlucky  instructor.  Speaking  of  the  college  he 
says :  "  From  the  first  breath  of  its  infancy  Amherst 
College  has  never  tasted  a  whiff  of  any  other  than  New 
England  air.  If  foreign  ideas  have  ever  arrived  and 
dismounted  at  this  door,  it  has  fared  with  them  a  good 
deal  as  it  did  with  the  polite  and  amiable  French 
master  that  came,  in  the  summer  of  '36,  to  teach  our 
class,  when  we  were  sophomores,  the  French  pronuncia- 
tion. There  were  two  windows  and  they  always  hap- 
pened to  be  accidentally  open,  on  the  north  side  of  the 
recitation  room,  and  from  the  moment  the  roll  was 
called  a  silent  process  of  waste  began  on  that  end  of 
the  seats,  till,  somehow,  when  the  hour  was  up,  through 
the  doorway  along  with  the  unobservant  and  smiling 
tutor,  only  '  three  angels  issued '  where  threescore 
*went  in.'" 

The  resource  of  the  more  active  intellects  was  found 
in  debate,  then  very  popular,  and  in  the  different 
societies.  Among  these  were  the  "Alexandrian,"  of 
which  he  was  president,  the  "Chi  Delta  Theta,"  the 
"  N.  L.  D.,"  and  the  -  Alpha  Delta  Phi."  To  the  latter 
Frederic's  allegiance  was  strong  through  life,  and  in 
his  last  will  and  testament  he  bequeathed  his  pin,  with 


HERITAGE    AND    YOUTH  39 

its  insignia,  to  a  daughter.  Young  men,  members  of 
the  fraternity,  who  made  themselves  known  to  him 
were  most  cordially  received.  It  happened  more  than 
once,  in  later  years  at  the  Hadley  homestead,  that 
students,  paddhng  down  the  river  in  a  canoe,  would 
beach  their  craft  under  the  willows,  and  cross  the 
meadows  to  call  upon  him,  and  he  delighted  to  wel- 
come them  in  behalf  of  their  alma  mater. 

He  was  one  of  the  editors  of  the  periodical  "  Horae 
Collegianae,"  conducted  by  a  committee  of  seniors.  In 
that  appeared  in  November,  1837,  his  first  printed  ar- 
ticle, entitled  "  The  Hours  of  Life."  Its  heading  was 
the  quotation  from  a  sun  dial  near  Venice,  ''  Horas 
non  numero  nisi  serenas,''  —  a  sentiment  which  at- 
tracted the  boy,  and  was  ever  characteristic  of  a  taste 
which  found  its  deepest  satisfaction  in  tranquil  con- 
templation, in  the  calm  and  soothing  aspects  of  nature, 
in  a  social  intercourse  free  from  criticism  and  con- 
tention. 

In  spite  of  the  fact  that  he  passed  through  the  four 
years'  curriculum  without  a  mark  in  the  scale  of  de- 
portment, for  absence  or  any  breach  of  disciphne,  he 
entered  with  zest  into  occasions  of  merriment  and 
joined  his  companions  in  open-air  diversions;  not  in 
those  days  athletic  sports,  but  rambles  along  stream 
and  through  the  woods,  with  gun  or  fishing  rod. 
He  formed  acquaintance  readily,  and  his  quick  sense 
of  humor  made  him  foremost  in  wit  and  chaff  and 
repartee. 

His  roommate.  Dexter  Clapp,  was  a  man  of  rare 
loveliness  of  character.  They  attended  the  Hadley 
Academy  together,  were  natives  of  the  same  county, 
entered  the  divinity  school  and  the  sacred  ministry  at 


40  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

the  same  time,  and  maintained  an  unbroken  intimacy 
until  the  death  of  Rev.  Mr.  Clapp,  after  pastorates 
at  the  Unitarian  churches  in  Spring  Street,  Roxbury, 
and  in  Salem,  Massachusetts.  With  such  companions, 
his  college  time  was  delightfully  passed.  Generosity, 
good  cheer,  and  loyalty  to  each  other  characterized  the 
intercourse  of  the  set  of  students  thus  brought  to- 
gether, and  proved  a  bond  of  affection  in  after-life. 

In  the  winter  of  1837,  following  a  fashion  of  the  time, 
and  partly  for  the  purpose  of  helping  meet  his  expenses, 
Frederic  took  a  position  as  teacher  in  South  Amherst. 
He  had  never  attended  a  district  school,  and  it  was 
his  first  experience  as  an  instructor,  but  he  had  a  nat- 
ural taste  for  the  occupation  and  experienced  no  diffi- 
culty in  fulfilling  what  was  required  of  him.  Like 
many  others  similarly  placed,  he  learned,  as  he  writes 
his  sister  Mary,  that  "  boarding  round  is  not  the  pleas- 
antest  mode  of  living;  rather  precarious  as  respects 
reading,  study,  lodging,  keeping,   &c.,   &;c." 

Here,  as  in  college,  his  thoughts  constantly  turned 
to  what  in  writing  to  Edward  he  speaks  of  as  "home, 
the   best  place  in  my  estimation  in  this  little  world." 

In  another  letter  he  says :  — 

"  Your  epistle  came  to  hand  —  I  was  at  the  time  in  a 
state  of  quiet,  '  so  to  speak.'  A  few  of  us  were  gathered 
about  the  step-stones  at  the  South  door  at  eventide,  a 
hallowed  spot  and  hour,  a  few  of  us,  I  say  —  Cousin 
Eunice  Phelps,  sister  Mary,  Amelia  Judkins  and  my- 
self. Speaking  of  Cousin  Eunice,  you  probably  recol- 
lect her  a  lady  of  talent  and  refinement  —  a  teacher  in 
Troy  Female  Seminary,  spending  a  part  of  her  vaca- 
tion with  us.  But  perhaps  you  are  wondering  how  I 
happen  to  be  in  Hadley.    The  fact  is  the  term  closes 


HERITAGE    AND    YOUTH  41 

next  Wednesday,  Commencement  Day.  The  exam- 
ination has  closed  already  and  we  are  free  at  that 
time,  —  we  have  a  vacation  of  six  weeks. 

"The  Social  Union  Society,  whose  business  it  was 
to  engage  an  orator  this  season,  failed  in  their  attempt, 
after  applying  to  Webster,  J.  Q.  Adams,  Judge  Story, 
Dr.  Channing,  Frelinghuysen,  Dr.  Cox,  Mr.  Sprague, 
George  Bancroft  and  others,  &c.,  &c.  Too  great 
men  in  my  opinion,  at  least  many  of  them.  The  term 
has  been  exceedingly  pleasant  —  studies  —  conic  sec- 
tions, Cicero  de  Oratore,  Longinus,  the  book  of  Reve- 
lation and  French,  quite  easy.  Have  been  reading 
Irving's  'Rocky  Mountains,'  *  Sartor  Resartus,'  'Red 
Rover.' " 

There  were  occasional  social  festivities  in  Amherst 
among  families  connected  with  the  college.  Among 
the  friends  of  that  time,  and  on  terms  of  intimacy, 
Mr.  Huntington  enjoyed  an  acquaintance  with  Emily 
Dickinson,  later  distinguished  as  a  poet. 

The  centre  of  social  and  intellectual  life  in  North- 
ampton at  this  time  was  the  hospitable  home  of  Judge 
and  Mrs.  Lyman.  Their  pastor  afterwards  said  that 
there  was  no  image  in  his  mind  of  their  front  door 
ever  being  closed  early  or  late.  The  daughter  writes  in 
her  Recollections  of  Mrs.  Lyman:"  ^  "When  winter 
came  on,  her  thoughts  would  turn  naturally  to  the  two 
families  of  Huntington  and  Phelps,  whose  beautiful 
homes  near  Hadley  were  her  delight  in  her  summer 
hours,  but  whose  young  inmates  she  felt  were  sadly 
cut  off  from  social  privileges  in  the  long  winters." 

Together  with  his  sisters,  Frederic  was  a  privileged 

^  Recollections  of  my  Mother :  Mrs.  Anne  Jean  Lyman,  of  North- 
ampton, by  Susan  J.  Lesley. 


42  FREDERIC   DAN   HUNTINGTON 

guest,  and  frequently  made  one  of  the  lively  company 
gathered  around  the  hostess,  herself  the  wittiest  of 
them  all,  a  "  queenly  woman,"  as  Mr.  R.  W.  Emerson 
called  her,  "with  flowing  conversation,  high  spirits 
and  perfectly  at  ease." 

Shakespeare  readings  were  a  favorite  evening  enter- 
tainment. "  When  my  mother  took  the  part  of  Portia, 
and  Mr.  Frederic  D.  Huntington,  then  a  youth,  that 
of  Bassanio,  in  the  'Merchant  of  Venice,'  every  one 
tliat  could  came  to  listen."  Frederic  found  another 
pleasant  visiting  place  at  the  "  Gothic  Seminary "  for 
young  ladies,  the  objective  point  of  many  a  sleigh 
ride  and  serenading  party  from  Amherst  College,  eight 
miles  away.  He  often  refers  to  "  the  Trio,"  his  special 
friends  and  correspondents,  in  letters  to  Mary,  his 
"sister  dear,"  while  she  was  passing  the  winter  at  her 
brother's  residence  near  by.  On  Round  Hill,  above 
the  old  town,  flourished  the  famous  school,  which  num- 
bered among  pupils  and  teachers  George  Bancroft, 
John  Lothrop  Motley,  and  Benjamin  Peirce, 

In  the  four  years  of  a  college  course  Frederic's  tastes 
had  ripened,  his  character  had  become  formed.  Con- 
centration of  purpose,  steady  habits  of  industry,  founda- 
tions of  knowledge  clear  and  defined,  are  gained  in  a 
curriculum  such  as  he  had  pursued,  and  they  are 
those  which  he  himself  ever  set  at  a  high  value.  His 
existence  had  been  led  in  a  narrow  channel  but  it  ran 
deep.  In  the  small  circle  of  his  student  life  his  chosen 
comrades  were  men  like  himself,  pure,  refined,  intellec- 
tual, and  to  this  association  he  owed  much.  The  tender 
affections  of  his  home  encouraged  his  nature  in  un- 
reserved and  spontaneous  expression.  Hard  work  on 
the  farm  in  vacations  toughened  his  frame  and  in- 


HERITAGE    AND    YOUTH  43 

spired  him  to  healthy  activity,  while  at  college  a  regi- 
men which  exacted  daily  attendance  at  chapel  at  six 
o'clock  in  the  morning  implanted  a  hardy  indifference 
to  bodily  ease.  Love  of  nature,  fondness  for  books, 
high  ideals,  all  these  the  boy  had  carried  with  him 
when  he  entered  iVraherst  College.  He  left  its  halls 
with  an  increased  manliness,  established  principles, 
and  the  consciousness  of  intellectual  power  which  was 
acquired  by  his  practice  in  writing  and  debate. 

At  the  termination  of  the  college  course  he  suffered 
from  the  only  serious  illness  of  his  life,  an  attack  of 
typhoid  fever.  In  spite  of  these  hindrances  and  of  the 
term  spent  in  teaching,  he  easily  held  first  rank  in 
scholarship  for  four  years  and  on  graduation  was 
awarded  the  highest  appointment  —  an  English  oration 
w^ith  the  valedictory  address.  This  was  largely  pre- 
pared on  a  sick  bed,  during  his  convalescence,  and 
delivered  when  he  could  barely  stand,  on  Commence- 
ment Day,  August  28th,  1839.  His  subject  was 
"The  Brotherhood  of  Scholars."  Among  the  other 
parts  were  "Materials  for  Poetry  in  Hebrew  His- 
tory," Richard  Salter  Storrs;  "The  Ideal  of  Art," 
Nathaniel  Augustus  Hewitt ;  "  Devotion  to  Principle, " 
Henr}^  Grant  DeForest.  These  three,  who  became  the 
distinguished  preacher,  the  founder  of  the  Paulist 
Fathers,  the  influential  citizen,  together  with  Edward 
B.  Gillett,  later  a  lawyer  of  distinction  in  western 
Massachusetts,  made  up  a  group  of  intimate  com- 
panions, whom  Frederic  Huntington  held  as  valued 
friends  all  through  his  life. 


CHAPTER  II 

THE    DIVINE    COMMISSION 
"  It  is  the  King's  Highway  we  are  in." 

The  visitation  of  fever  which  passed  over  the  Con- 
necticut Valley  in  the  summer  and  autumn  of  1839 
proved  a  grave  infliction.  Three  in  the  Huntington 
household  and  four  in  the  Phelps  were  attacked,  and 
in  each  occurred  a  death.  The  long  strain  of  anxiety 
and  bereavement  began  with  Frederic's  illness.  He 
was  tenderly  cared  for  by  mother  and  sisters.  As  he 
lay  in  the  darkened  room,  his  parching  thirst  aroused 
memories  and  longings  for  the  little  brook  flowing 
behind  the  hill  across  the  road,  and  his  soul  sought  for 
spiritual  refreshment.  During  his  convalescence  there 
was  leisure  for  reflection,  for  humble  dependence  and 
for  a  reconsecration  to  a  religious  life.  It  was  then 
that  his  decision  to  enter  the  sacred  ministry  took 
definite  shape,  a  calling  to  which  in  a  measure  he  had 
looked  forward  from  the  beginning  of  his  academic 
studies.  With  all  his  heart,  earnestly  and  prayerfully, 
he  set  himself  towards  his  chosen  career. 

There  was  no  question  as  to  a  choice  in  theological 
instruction.  Although  the  religious  influences  of  his 
boyhood  were  those  of  the  "Standing  Order"  of 
Orthodox  belief,  his  parents  had  been  banished  from 
their    former    communion.       Its    ecclesiastical    yoke 


THE    DIVINE    COMMISSION  45 

seemed  to  him  one  of  intolerance  and  bigotry.  "  Its 
aspect  was  uninviting.  The  culture  was  undeniably 
rude.  There  was  an  ever-increasing  impression  of 
unreality.  Naturally  the  immense  problem  and  mys- 
tery of  the  unseen  world  come  before  a  youth  in  public 
worship,  and  at  those  points  where  the  instituted 
ministration  touched  the  chief  things  of  life  —  birth,  the 
act  of  uniting  with  the  Church,  wedlock,  death  and 
burial.  Here  this  touch  seemed  to  H.  to  be  neither 
strong  nor  gentle.  Again  and  again  he  asked  himself, 
why  this  solemn  performance  might  not  be  less  rough 
and  raw.  Why  should  it  not  manifest  in  some  fair  mea- 
sure the  glory  of  that  realm  where,  as  all  were  agreed, 
the  perfection  of  beauty  shines  ? 

'*In  vacations  and  holidays  he  wandered  with  his 
fowling-piece  in  sweet-scented  woods  and  along  the 
river  banks,  wondering  why  all  the  deep  meanings  of 
splendor  and  shade,  the  living  forms  and  harmonies, 
the  innumerable  and  vivid  witnesses  to  a  beauty- 
loving  Maker  and  order-loving  Designer  should  be 
so  far  apart  from  that  other  thing  called  religion.  Why 
should  the  weekly  Sabbath  shut  the  door  on  all  these 
divine  disclosures,  and  open  a  door  into  a  bare  room 
of  unsightly  woodwork  and  blank  plastering  without 
color,  symmetry  or  significance  ? "  This  he  wrote 
fifty  years  later  of  his  own  boyhood.^ 

On  the  other  hand  the  Unitarian  doctrines  seemed 
to  him  full  of  beauty  and  simplicity.  He  had  been 
taught  to  reverence  the  Scriptures  and  commit  them 
to  memory,  to  worship  the  Saviour  of  mankind  and 
trust  His  love  and  redeeming  power.  Like  his  mother 
he  longed  ardently  for  a  creed  which  would  gather  in 
1  The  Forum,  June,  1886. 


46  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

rather  than  exclude,  which  would  win  rather  than  de- 
nounce. "  At  Northampton,  near  by,  two  generations  be- 
fore, Jonathan  Edwards,  though  he  so  preached  that  the 
older  people  clutched  the  sides  of  the  pews  to  keep 
them  from  sliding  into  the  pit,  failed  to  persuade  the 
young  to  live  in  chastity  and  decency,  gave  the  attempt 
up  in  despair  and  went  away  leaving  the  town  unclean." 

With  the  echoes  of  these  imprecations  still  in  his 
ears,  witnessing  a  church  discipline  which  demanded 
public  penitential  confessions  of  immorality,  under  a 
pulpit  which  omitted  all  ethical  application,  there  was 
a  charm  in  the  contrast  offered  by  Dr.  Channing's 
gentle  and  exalted  utterance  on  "  the  dignity  of  human 
nature."  Frederic's  convictions  were  the  result  of 
early  impressions,  of  environment  and  reaction  against 
ecclesiastical  intolerance,  but  they  were  none  the  less 
seriously  considered  and  prayerfully  determined.  One 
feeling  was  predominant  when  he  sent  his  request  for 
admission  to  the  Harvard  Divinity  School,  that  his 
mind  should  be  kept  open  towards  all  new  light  and 
all  new  truth  which  might  enter  it. 

In  order  to  regain  his  strength  after  the  weeks  of 
fever  he  took  a  short  excursion  into  Connecticut  with 
his  parents  and  elder  sister,  and  then  accepted  a  position 
to  teach  in  the  charming  hill  town  of  Warwick,  in 
Massachusetts,  near  the  New  Hampshire  border.  The 
healthful  air  was  one  object,  to  aid  his  convalescence, 
and  another  a  desire  to  provide  for  himself  in  the  ex- 
penses of  a  professional  course.  He  found  a  pleasant 
welcome  from  the  Rev.  Preserved  Smith,  a  man  emi- 
nent for  his  interest  in  education. 

Writing  to  his  mother  September  14th,  1839, 
Frederic  says :  — 


THE    DIVINE    COMMISSION  47 

"  Mr.  Smith's  family  make  me  very  welcome  there 
and  it  seems  more  like  home  than  any  other  place.  He 
has  a  superior  library,  and  music  of  a  tolerable  quality. 
The  old  lady  is  particularly  kind,  one  of  the  earth's 
excellent.  Of  the  scenery  —  the  external  world,  as  it 
strikes  my  fancy,  T  cannot  say  enough  in  the  way  of 
admiration.  It  is  romantic,  perhaps  not  beautiful  yet 
the  immediate  vicinity  is  neat  and  cultivated.  But  the 
mountains,  and  they  are  close  by,  are  glorious;  their 
sides  covered  with  dense  green  forests  or  rich  pasturage, 
and  their  rounded  tops  much  of  the  time  covered  with 
sunlight,  while  the  valleys  are  shaded.  I  revel  in  the 
wildness  of  scenery  mingled  with  the  cultivated,  morn- 
ing, noon  and  night. 

"  By  making  regular  divisions  of  my  time  I  accom- 
plish out  of  school,  no  inconsiderable  amount  of  read- 
ing, both  in  English,. Latin  and  French,  besides  walk- 
ing, and  rambling  over  the  hills.  I  must  not  omit  to 
tell  you  that  I  have  been  requested  by  the  Franklin 
County  Board  of  Education  to  give  a  lecture  in  four 
towns  in  this  vicinity  this  Autumn.  My  fellow  lecturers 
are  Rev.  Mr.  Everett  and  Rev.  Mr.  Smith.  I  hesitated 
awhile  on  account  of  the  '  tallness  '  of  my  company,  but 
they  were  urgent  and  I  accepted.  My  subject  is  *  Moral 
Instruction.'  " 

The  pupils  in  the  academy  were  bright  young 
people,  and  the  families  with  whom  their  schoolmaster 
thus  became  acquainted  remained  valued  friends. 
Throughout  his  life  the  memories  of  those  pleasant 
weeks  in  Warwick  with  the  Pomeroys,  Lathrops, 
Balls,  Spooners,  Wheelocks,  and  Russells  were  among 
those  which  he  loved  to  recall,  and  in  his  later  years 
Bishop  Huntington  made  a  journey  each  summer  to 


48  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

renew  with  some  of  the  few  who  remained,  the  friendly 
intercourse  of  the  past. 

The  month  of  October  of  the  year  1839  proved  a  sad 
one  for  the  home  household.  Nearly  every  member  had 
suffered  from  the  prevailing  fever  since  midsummer. 

October  9th,  his  mother  writes:  "Thanks  to  the 
Father  of  our  Mercies  we  are  all  able  to  walk  about 
the  house  and  to  walk  out  of  doors  a  little,  and  to  ride 
out  in  this  delightful  Autumnal  air,  all  excepting  our 
dear  M.ary  who  has  at  last  been  obliged  to  quit  her 
labors  of  love  and  care  of  the  sick  and  herself  to  be  the 
object  of  our  sohcitude." 

Five  days  later  the  beloved  sister  was  taken,  as  her 
mother  writes  of  her,  "rich  in  faith,  rich  in  hope, 
rich  in  good  works  —  her  mind  is  clear  as  light.  Her 
life  how  pure  and  excellent." 

To  the  favorite  brother,  whose  aspirations  she  had 
often  kindled,  whose  high-souled  sympathy  had 
responded  to  hers,  it  was  an  especial  loss.  In  a  letter  to 
his, brother  Edward,  October  21st,  he  says:  "Is  it  not 
an  evidence  that  our  family  affections  are  a  part  of 
religion  that  they  are  immortal  —  that  while  other 
objects  lose  their  fascination  and  we  seem  to  take  a 
firmer  hold  on  futurity,  even  then  our  attachment  to 
each  other  becomes  deeper?" 

The  term  in  Warwick  closed  before  Thanksgiving. 
That  annual  festival  Frederic  passed  with  his  family 
in  their  bereaved  home  and  then  joined  the  junior 
class  at  the  Cambridge  Theological  School. 

DiviNTTT  College. 
Cambridge,  Dec.  5th. 

My  dear  Mother  :  —  Finding  myself   somewhat 

settled,  I  thus  comply  with  your  earnest  request,  and  at 


THE    DIVINE    COMMISSION  49 

the  same  time  discharge  a  positive  duty.  The  journey 
was  not  rendered  very  disagreeable  by  the  tempestuous 
weather  without,  the  cars  being  provided,  as  you 
know,  with  all  the  comforts  of  a  parlor.  Mr.  Child  ^ 
was  extremely  entertaining.  His  extensive  travels, 
his  close  habits  of  observation,  his  peculiar  views  in 
politics  and  domestic  economy,  his  thorough  and 
practical  education  all  combine  to  make  him  a  man 
of  remarkable  powers  in  conversation.  A  truer  aboli- 
tionist I  suspect  never  lived. 

Here  I  am  in  old  Harvard.  It  is  the  place  of  all 
places,  for  study.  My  room  has  a  pleasant  location, 
looking  towards  Charlestown  and  Boston  —  hand- 
somely furnished,  carpeted  and  papered.  The  articles 
I  brought  are  coming  into  very  valuable  use,  though 
the  sheets  and  pillowcases  are  superfluous,  these 
being  supplied  by  a  benevolent  sisterhood  in  Cam- 
bridge. All  the  men  in  the  Hall  seemed  gratified  to 
see  me  and  things  wear  a  very  kindly  aspect.  The  peo- 
ple I  have  seen  are  the  families  of  Dr.  Ware,  Jun., 
and  Mrs.  Howe;  I  shall  call  at  Prof.  Pierce's  soon. 
In  one  week's  time  I  hope  to  stand  square  with  my 
classmates  in  the  studies  —  meantime  I  recite  with 
the  rest.  I  have  just  been  to  hear  a  lecture  from  Mr. 
Adam  the  distinguished  Orientalist. 

As  the  season  opened  he  describes  Cambridge, 
"becoming  with  the  rich  foliage  and  full  blossoms  of 
the  Spring  a  perfect  Paradise.  Do  not  allow  your- 
selves any  sort  of  anxiety  respecting  my  habits  of 
exercise.    Our  hall  is  surrounded  by  a  very  salubrious 

^  The  husband  of  Lydia  Maria  Child,  the  well-known  author  of 
anti-slavery  hterature. 


50  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

as  well  as  a  very  spiritual  atmosphere.  And  we  do  not 
allow  ourselves  here  to  forget  the  care  of  the  physical 
man.  A  game  of  ball  occupies  us  an  hour  or  two  of 
every  day.  Our  gardens  furnish  us  with  plenty  of 
amusement  besides,  and  two  or  three  walks  weekly  to 
Boston  three  and  a  half  miles  distant,  and  elsewhere, 
make  up  you  will  perceive,  quite  a  little  amount  of 
labor.  I  never  felt  more  vigor  in  my  life.  Even  the  sea 
winds,  which  to  other  dwellers  on  the  coast  are  so  dis- 
agreeable, are  to  me  only  fresh  and  pleasant  breezes. 

"  I  find  our  secluded  spot  as  calm,  as  favorable  to 
study  and  devotion  as  ever.  If  one  does  not  practice 
the  virtues  and  draw  near  to  God,  here,  where  there 
is  no  collision  of  passions  and  so  few  of  the  temptations 
that  beset  our  busy  life,  I  don't  know  where  he  can 
expect  to  do  it.  In  study,  however,  I  am  aware,  there 
are  dangers  likewise  —  dangers  that  spring  from  the 
study  itself. 

*'  May  strength  be  given  us  to  resist  them  success- 
fully. There  is  One  who  is  strong  and  ready  to  give 
counsel  and  guidance  and  wisdom  itself." 

The  country  youth  had  entered  a  new  intellectual 
world.  Through  practice  in  the  Amherst  debating 
clubs,  he  had  become  a  master  in  forensic  oratory 
and  his  soul  was  fired  with  interest  in  the  subjects  of  the 
day,  especially  the  reforms  which  were  then  fresh  in 
men's  minds  and  dividing  society  into  hostile  camps. 
In  the  curriculum  of  the  Divinity  School  Friday  even- 
ing discussions  on  stated  subjects  were  prescribed. 
Among  the  set  of  men  who  gathered  there  enthusiasm 
did  not  flourish.  Educated  in  the  calm  and  cultivated 
atmosphere  of  Boston  Unitarianism,  they  felt  no  such 
hot  antagonism  to  Calvinism  as  that  which  stirred  one 


THE    DIVINE    COMMISSION  51 

who  was  reared  under  its  forbidding  aspects.  Hunt- 
ington distinguished  himself  among  them,  not  only 
by  the  brilliancy  of  his  style,  but  by  his  intense  ardor 
for  the  side  he  espoused  and  his  aptness  in  utterance. 
One  element  in  the  persuasiveness  of  his  eloquent 
words  was  their  fine  intonation  and  perfectly  modu- 
lated delivery.  Long  afterward  a  fellow  student  re- 
called vividly  the  impression  of  a  summer  afternoon, 
in  the  shade  and  stillness  of  Divinity  Avenue,  when 
sitting  in  his  room  he  became  spellbound,  listening 
from  across  the  hall  to  the  rich  musical  inflections  of 
Huntington's  voice,  as  he  read  aloud  one  of  Marti- 
neau's  sermons.  Successful  as  he  then  proved  himself 
to  be  in  extemporaneous  speaking,  it  was  a  gift  which 
in  after  years  he  held  to  be  fraught  with  danger,  and 
those  whom  he  instructed  in  pulpit  methods  will  recall 
the  warnings,  which  increased  in  old  age,  against 
preaching  without  most  careful  preparation. 

In  spite  of  his  early  readiness  in  disputation,  he  never 
showed  a  taste  for  controversy  for  its  own  sake.  His 
chief  endeavor  was  to  state  a  subject  clearly,  and  he 
cared  less  to  overthrow  an  adversary,  or  to  convince 
an  audience  by  a  process  of  reasoning,  than  to  enforce 
by  lucid  and  persuasive  exposition  the  appeal  which 
the  truth  makes  to  the  conscience  of  men.  In  the  in- 
tellectual atmosphere  of  the  university  the  charm  of 
literature  cast  its  spell  around  him.  He  drank  deep  at 
the  sources  of  noble  English.  Coleridge,  De  Quincey, 
and  Carlyle  were  the  new  writers  who  were  influencing 
the  minds  of  that  generation,  and  their  works  impressed 
him  profoundly. 

Much  poetry,  now  familiar  to  us,  was  then  a  delight- 
fully new  experience.    To  his  mother,  bereaved  in  the 


52  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

loss  of  the  beloved  daughter,  he  writes,  asking  her  to 
accept  a  volume  just  published. 

"Its  very  title  promises  something  like  sympathy 
to  the  mourner.  Yet,  solemn  as  are  the  '  Voices  of  the 
Night,'  they  breathe  comfort  and  encouragement  for 
the  labors  of  the  day.  Many  of  them  I  have  committed 
to  memo^}^  In  many  respects  I  hke  the  piece  called 
*  Flowers,'  better  than  any  other  in  the  book."  This 
was  a  favorite  to  the  end  of  his  life,  and  his  fondness 
for  Henry  Wadsworth  Longfellow's  poems  and  for 
William  Cullen  Bryant's,  carrying  with  them  early 
associations,  never  yielded  to  the  great  masters  of 
verse,  across  the  sea.  From  youth  to  old  age,  even  to 
a  few  weeks  before  his  end,  "The  Waning  Moon" 
was  frequently  repeated  with  deep  feeling. 

The  first  real  contact  of  the  young  man  with  sinning 
souls  came  through  the  work  in  the  city  institutions, 
which  was  part  of  the  training  of  the  divinity  students. 
This  formed  the  only  outlet  for  active  sympathy,  in  a 
rather  isolated  course  of  study  and  reflection. 

Cambridge,  April  4,  1840. 
To  Edward  Phelps  Huntington. 

In  that  you  study  serenely  and  are  absorbed  thereby 
you  resemble  me.  More  and  more  I  become  careless  of 
society.  When  I  look  at  it  I  see  little  but  a  subject  of 
pity  or  laughter.  Having  discovered  where  the  springs 
are  I  hope  by  and  by  to  make  an  effort  to  touch  them. 

Criticism,  Evidences,  Pulpit  Oratory,  these  are  our 
regular  topics  at  present.  I  am  engaged  just  now  in  a 
course  of  Civil  History  —  somewhat  extended.  The 
walks  about  here  are  delightful,  and  I  improve  them. 
Esq.  Time  is  leading  Spring  in,  in  a  very  gentlemanly 


THE    DIVINE    COMMISSION  53 

way,  and  though  winter  occasionally  blusters  and 
sprinkles  a  little  snow  in  his  laughing  sister's  pathway, 
she  enervates  him  with  one  of  her  warm  sighs. 

My  room  has  a  Western  view  —  very  fine,  embra- 
cing the  garden  belonging  to  the  school,  the  village  of 
C,  high  grounds  beyond  with  pleasant  villas,  and  then 
the  blue  of  the  mountains  melts  into  the  softer  blue  of 
the  sky  that  embraces  them.  The  garden  we  have  the 
privilege  of  cultivating. 

Our  preaching  is  of  the  highest  order.  Of  course 
we  can  find  such  hereabouts.  Dr.  Walker  and  Dr. 
Channing  are  the  two  great  ones  and  Prof.  Ware  is  not 
far  behind.  I  usually  attend  in  the  City  in  the  morning, 
as  I  instruct  every  Sabbath  before  the  services  in  one 
of  the  Prisons.  I  find  many  characters  there  that  in- 
terest me;  humanity  although  in  ruins,  and  Faith 
hidden  under  a  mass  of  degradation.  The  men  seem 
quite  willing  to  learn  and  to  think  —  the  women  are 
doubtful. 

The  Transcendental  Movement  had  its  attractions. 
It  is  interesting  to  compare  the  impressions  of  the 
youth  with  the  ripe  judgment  of  the  scholar  fifty  years 

later. 

CAMBRmcE,  May  16,  1840. 

My  dear  Mother  :  —  In  his  late  kind  letter  Father 
alludes  to  the  agitation  of  new  opinions  that  now  so 
extensively  occupies  the  attention  of  liberal  Christians. 
It  is  emphatically  the  great  Theological  question  of  the 
day.  It  is  not  altogether,  though  too  much,  a  question 
of  words  and  quiddities.  I  am  satisfied  in  my  investi- 
gations thus  far  that  there  is  truth,  some  new  truth  in 
this  system  of  self-styled  spiritualism. 


54  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

Do  not  imagine  I  am  at  all  beguiled  with  the  tinsel, 
the  pretended  intellectual  character  of  German  Tran- 
scendentalism. I  never  was  so  far  from  that  as  at  this 
moment.  I  only  wish  to  make  it  a  subject  of  fair, 
honest,  intelligent  inquiry.  It  will  hardly  do  to  call 
Transcendentalists  fools,  —  for  they  number  some 
able  minds.  I  find  that  the  system  was  first  drawn  out 
by  Kant  in  Germany  —  the  most  unexceptionable 
man  in  doctrine  that  the  sect  has  perhaps  contained. 
In  the  hands  of  Fichte,  Hegel  and  Schelling  it  became 
more  atheistic.  In  England  it  has  been  more  a  subject 
of  philosophy  than  of  Theology.  Coleridge  like  Goethe 
has  interwoven  it  in  his  poetry.  Carlyle  acknowledges 
an  idealistic  Pantheism  and  probably  Emerson  would 
do  the  same.  There  are  few  such  however  among 
American  Spiritualists.  They  still  hold  to  the  strict 
Personality  of  the  Deity  and  other  essential  features 
of  Christianity.  They  have  their  meetings  —  conversa- 
tions etc.,  about  here,  often  calling  themselves  Philoso- 
phers. 

Emerson  and  Alcott  mystify,  Ripley  spiritualizes. 
Stetson  jokes,  Very  poetizes  etc.,  Norton  stands  out 
against  them  and  receives  pamphlets  and  other  squibs 
with  perfect  composure.  I  fear  he  is  not  altogether 
charitable,  however.  I  have  met  Rev.  T.  Parker  once ; 
he  preaches  in  a  Church  in  Roxbury,  is  a  Spiritualist, 
a  distinguished  scholar  and  clever  man. 

Nearly  half  a  century  later  Bishop  Huntington 
wrote:  "From  1835  to  1840,  a  movement  was  felt 
which  was  to  affect  palpably  American  thought,  lit- 
erature and  faith.  Its  influence  was  exerted  primarily 
in   Unitarian   circles,   but   reached   thinking  men   in 


THE    DIVINE    COMMISSION  55 

New  York,  Philadelphia  and  St.  Louis.  Under  the 
name  of  Transcendentalism  it  introduced,  chiefly 
from  German  Schools,  the  intuitional  Philosophy, 
not  only  discrediting  experimentalism,  and  the  de- 
ductive process  generally,  but  proposing  inevitably  a 
new  method  in  the  evidences  of  Christianity,  Biblical 
criticism,  the  testing  of  creeds,  and  the  spiritual  life. 
Naturally  enough  the  incoming  wave  found  easy  ad- 
mission in  Unitarian  ranks,  where  liberty  was  already 
a  cardinal  principle.  Immediate  fruits  were  the  Norton 
and  Ripley  debates  on  Spinoza  and  Pantheism,  the 
*Dial,'  Theodore  Parker's  transfer  from  the  suburbs 
to  a  Boston  lecture  hall,  the  coterie  grouped  about 
Emerson  and  Margaret  Fuller,  and  a  division  of  the 
Unitarian  preachers  and  people  into  a  conservative 
and  progressive  party.  A  remoter  and  better  conse- 
quence, as  the  way  of  Providence  is  apt  to  be  with 
sincere  reforms,  was  a  permanent  modification  of 
theological  habits  in  various  Protestant  leaders,  a 
widening  of  the  grounds  of  Christian  belief,  a  fresh- 
ening of  dry  fountains  of  discourse,  and  the  dismem- 
berment of  a  barren  cause.  Such  attending  phenomena 
as  individual  or  partisan  extravagance,  over-statement, 
ill-temper,  a  provincial  cant,  an  imitative  Germanized 
style  corrupting  good  English  would  be  transient. 

"  To  eager  and  open-minded  young  scholars  those 
were  interesting  days.  Every  week  brought  some  new 
contribution  to  the  local  excitement.  Emerson  preached 
his  aphoristic  sermon  before  the  graduating  class  of 
the  Divinity  School.  Was  it  Pantheism  or  not  ?  Henry 
Ware  and  his  coadjutors  said  it  was  little  or  no  better. 
Doctors  Francis,  Stetson,  Ripley  and  others  said  it 
was  a  sure  prophecy  from  a  divine  oracle.      Clubs 


56  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

met  and  sat  up  late.  Translations  from  German  meta- 
physics, poets,  and  commentators  were  on  parlor  centre- 
tables.  Bright  women  recruited  the  intuitional  contin- 
gent. Brook  Farm  attempted  to  apply  the  foreign 
illumination  to  Yankee  industry  and  the  solution  of 
labor  questions  by  an  improved  Fourierism,  drawing 
companies  from  the  region  round  about  to  brilliant 
symposia,  but  under  a  financial  necessity  presently 
folded  its  tents  and  silently  stole  away.  'Sartor  Re- 
sartus'  and  Carlyle's  subsequent  writings  were  then 
and  for  some  time  after  the  popular  reading  for  under- 
graduates and  self-educated  students  all  over  the  land. 
More  than  that,  they  were  stirring  in  multitudes  a  sense 
of  the  radical  difference  in  all  moral  and  religious  and 
social  action  between  appearance  and  reality,  letter 
and  spirit,  make-believe  and  self -forgetful  earnestness. 
The  increase  was  not  all  solid  gold.  When  much  rub- 
bish is  suddenly  cast  out,  there  is  always  risk  that  some 
new  rubbish  will  be  taken  in."  ^ 

The  letter  written  to  the  Hadley  home,  May,  1840, 
called  forth  some  words  of  warning  from  his  father,  to 
which  he  replied  at  length. 

Cambridge,  May  30. 
To  THE  Rev.  Dan  Huntington. 

My  dear  Father:  —  This  has  been  the  week  of 
Anniversaries  in  the  City.  Many  of  them  I  attended 
with  interest.  Of  course  the  Conference  of  Unitarian 
clergymen  was  the  most  important  in  my  view.  The 
information  laid  before  that  body  was  cheermg,  the 
spirit  manifested  was  excellent,  the  discussions  able 
and  candid.     Among  other  questions  that  of  "New 

1  The  Forum,  June,  1886. 


THE    DIVINE    COMMISSION  57 

Views"  came  up  and  was  freely  discussed  by  Revs. 
Ripley,  Hedge,  Osgood  and  Stetson,  from  the  new 
party;  and  Gannett,  Pierpont,  Hall  and  Hill  from  the 
old. 

I  thank  you  sincerely  for  the  excellent  cautions  in 
your  late  letter  and  I  took  the  liberty  of  reading  them 
to  a  friend  or  two.  As  to  the  merits  of  the  questions 
at  issue,  I  know  as  yet,  but  little.  I  wish  to  examine 
both  sides  cautiously,  intelligently  and  fairly.  At  the 
present  point,  I  can  say  that  I  think  there  is  truth  in 
all  views  —  that  the  excesses  and  marked  peculiarities 
of  Transcendentalism  are  all  humbug;  not  however 
because  they  are  new,  for  I  suppose  new  truths  will  be 
forever  breaking  upon  men's  souls,  and  that  men  should 
always  stand  ready  to  receive  them. 

The  weather  here  has  been  extremely  hot  this  week, 
the  thermometer  mounting  to  96°.  It  must  be  fine 
weather  for  crops.  H.  told  me  the  other  day  that  he 
never  saw  the  river  valley  more  beautiful.  Would  that 
I  could  look  in  upon  it! 

You  inquire  kindly  about  funds.  I  am  in  no  want 
at  present.  Expenses  here  are  small.  Perhaps  I  had 
best  take  a  school  in  the  Fall,  though  that  term  will  be 
a  very  interesting  one  here  on  many  accounts  and  im- 
portant too. 

Please  express  yourself  more  fully  respecting  what 
you  think  best  for  me.  I  am  your  boy  still,  though  I 
was  twenty-one  day  before  yesterday. 

With  the  truest  love  and  the  most  affectionate  re- 
membrance of  all,  your  dutiful  son,        Frederic. 

The  privilege  of  hearing  eminent  preachers  was  one 
which  the  young  student  especially  valued.     Among 


58  FREDERIC   DAN   HUNTINGTON 

these  whom  he  enjoyed,  in  addition  to  others  already 
mentioned,  were  Dr.  Orville  Dewey,  Dr.  Ezra  Stiles 
Gannett,  Dr.  Francis  Greenwood,  and  Dr.  George 
Putnam. 

He  was  at  first  much  impressed  by  Theodore  Parker, 
"  so  much  talked  of  now,  a  noble  man,  eloquent,  bold 
and  in  earnest,  and  a  scholar  withal  and  as  spiritual- 
minded  as  the  best  of  his  frightened  accusers."  This 
in  July,  1840.  The  following  year,  July,  1841,  he  writes 
his  mother  :  "  Nothing  agitates  the  community  in  this 
region  at  present  so  deeply  as  Parker's  sermon.  My 
own  unimportant  view  of  the  matter,  so  far  as  I  have 
thought  upon  it  is  this.  Mr.  Parker  was  unfortunate, 
if  not  blamable,  in  selecting,  as  the  occasion  of  bring- 
ing out  opinions  so  new,  an  ordination  of  a  minister 
by  other  ministers  of  an  existing  sect  whose  opinions 
he  must  have  known  to  differ  materially  from  his  own. 
He  has  embarrassed  the  Unitarian  body  gratuitously 
and  without  right  or  authority  to  do  so."  He  was,  how- 
ever, at  that  time,  impressed  with  Theodore  Parker's 
fervor  and  eloquence  and  ready  to  give  him  credit 
for  fearlessness  and  sincerity. 

To  his  brother  he  sends  an  account  of  experience  in 
another  line  of  doctrinal  utterance. 

Dear  Ned  :  — I  might  have  been  seen,  a  few  even- 
ings since  in  one  of  the  galleries  of  Park  St.  church. 
Persons  were  one  by  one  quietly  taking  their  places 
in  the  different  parts  of  the  house.  The  few  lamps  that 
were  lighted  burned  somewhat  dimly  and  waveringly. 
I  had  just  concluded  an  animated  whisper  conversa- 
tion with  a  young  German  Mystic,  dismissed  now  from 
respect  to  gathering  assembly,  —  Then  the  deep  double 


THE    DIVINE    COMMISSION  59 

bass  of  the  organ,  with  a  full  choir  pealed  forth  the 
following,  imitating  the  idea  of  the  third  and  fourth 
lines,  till  the  building  shook  to  its  foundations: 

"  See  the  storm  of  vengeance  gathering 

O'er  the  patli  you  dare  to  tread  ! 
Hear  the  awful  thunders  rolling, 

Loud  and  louder  o'er  your  head  ! 
Turn  O  sinner  !  " 

And  now  rose  the  elegant  form  of  the  celebrated 
Presbyterian  clergyman,  Mr.  Kirk.  Of  him  it  is 
enough  to  say  he  is  an  eloquent  man,  a  man  of  superior 
talent,  but  a  poor  theologian. 

In  the  same  epistle  he  concludes:  "The  Fourth 
with  its  foolery,  its  flags,  its  parades,  its  false  patriotism 
and  its  pitiable  confusion  has  gone  away;  and  it  has 
been  succeeded  by  the  holier  hours  on  which  we  cele- 
brate a  nobler  than  a  nation's  birth  —  even  a  world's  — 
the  calm,  the  peaceful  commemoration  of  the  resur- 
rection of  the  Prince  of  Peace  and  of  the  birth  of  man's 
hope  of  immortality.  To  the  spirit  of  that  mighty  Mes- 
senger —  of  the  Message  he  brought,  I  cannot  help  con- 
sidering the  shoutings  and  shootings  as  directly  opposed. 
They  breathe  of  war  and  passions,  of  the  senses  and  sin, 
of  forgetfulness  of  the  spiritual  element  of  our  nature. 

*'  Our  term  is  nearly  finished.  I  think  I  may  say,  I 
never  accomplished  a  greater  amount  of  work  in  the 
same  time.  On  casting  up  the  pages  I  have  read  and 
studied  since  the  first  of  March,  I  find  they  amount  to 
about  eleven  thousand,  besides  writing,  debating  and 
other  things.  A  vacation  is  quite  in  place  and  I  am  de- 
lighted with  your  proposition  to  move  among  the  hay- 
makers.   On  Saturday  I  intend  to  go  to  Northampton. 


60  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

Cannot  we  meet  the  week  after  ?  Keep  cool.  The  Lord 
bless  you.  Yours  changelessly,  one  of  the  friends  whose 
pride  you  are." 

The  course  which  the  student  of  divinity  pursued  at 
Cambridge  was,  as  he  himself  afterwards  recalled  it, 
one  "  of  which  it  may  be  safely  said  that  at  that  time  a 
favorable  opportunity  for  outlook  and  quiet  study  was 
the  chief  advantage,  rather  than  the  curriculum  and 
the  chairs."  During  the  spring  of  '42  he  writes  to  his 
parents :  "  Judging  from  present  appearances  we  are 
likely  to  be  left  in  the  school,  as  is  apt  to  be  the  case 
here,  very  much  to  the  guidance  of  our  own  impulses. 
Is  it  not  well  that  we  are  such  safe  young  men  ?  " 

Dr.  Henry  Ware  had  become  emeritus.  His  son. 
Dr.  Henry  Ware,  Jun.,  an  excellent  and  distinguished 
man,  was  in  failing  health,  and  this  was  the  last  class 
which  had  the  benefit  of  his  instruction.  In  October, 
1840:  "Our  new  professor  Dr.  Noyes  has  com- 
menced his  duties.  He  seems  to  be  a  thoroughly  schol- 
arly man,  and  will  doubtless  be  much  liked."  In 
ecclesiastical  history  the  students  seemed  quite  inde- 
pendent. "My  plan  is  to  take  a  single  idea,  a  single 
thought,  as  for  example,  the  idea  of  the  freedom  of  the 
will,  the  idea  of  a  Catholic  Church,  of  the  Trinity,  of 
the  Reformation,  of  Quakerism,  and  trace  it  first  to 
its  original  starting-place  as  nearly  as  possible  and  then 
follow  out  the  history  of  that  idea,  in  all  its  develop- 
ment and  modifications  and  applications  through  all 
the  periods  of  Church  History.  I  think  it  is  most  phil- 
osophical to  follow  such  a  course,  and  the  knowledge 
tlius  gained  is  more  available." 

Although  it  was  out  of  the  regular  svstem  for  students 
to  preach  while  at    the  Divinity  School,  permission 


THE    DIVINE    COMMISSION  61 

was  granted  to  do  so  in  certain  cases  and  Mr.  Hunt- 
ington seems  to  have  given  his  first  sermon  at  the 
House  of  Correction  in  East  Cambridge,  March  22nd, 
1841. 

During  the  following  summer  he  ministered  to  a 
little  flock  of  "  Liberal  Christians  "  who  gathered  in  a 
lonely  schoolhouse  on  the  hills  above  the  Connecticut 
Valley.  The  building  still  stands  in  the  town  of 
Leverett,  as  humble  and  remote  as  it  was  sixty  years 
ago. 

Several  years  after,  when  the  young  minister  of  the 
South  Congregational  church  in  Boston  was  in  the 
height  of  his  activity,  his  father  writes  of  this  worthy 
little  band  to  whom  he  himself  had  been  ministering: 
"They  have  given  very  good  attendance.  A  number 
of  them  have  spoken  of  you  in  a  very  friendly  manner. 
They  seem  to  take  something  to  themselves  for  having 
broken  a  colt,  that  bids  so  fair  to  run  a  good  race.  I 
hope  their  honest  pride  may  be  duly  appreciated." 

Huntington  was  at  this  same  time  teaching  for  a 
second  autumn  term  in  the  neigh}:)oring  village  of 
Warwick,  renewing  his  old  associations,  riding  daily 
one  of  his  father's  horses  and  laying  aside  means  to 
complete  his  theological  course.  He  delivered  some 
educational  and  lyceum  lectures  in  the  adjoining 
towns,  and  during  the  following  winter  vacation 
preached  occasionally  in  the  small  Unitarian  parishes 
on  the  river,  where  his  father  was  in  the  habit  of  sup- 
plying the  pulpit. 

At  times  he  assisted  at  King's  Chapel  in  Boston  by 
reading  the  service  for  Rev.  Dr.  Greenwood.  This  was 
his  earliest  acquaintance  with  a  liturgical  form  of 
worship. 


62  FREDERIC   DAN   HUNTINGTON 

Cambridge,  April  8,  1842. 

Dear  Edward  :  —  All  your  criticisms  upon  per- 
formance in  the  pulpit  and  upon  the  clerical  office  are 
full  of  interest  to  me.  You  cannot  well  imagine  the 
eagerness  with  which  I  look  about  for  different  styles 
and  the  success,  the  excellencies,  the  blemishes  in  each. 
Putnam  of  Roxbury  is  our  greatest  freacker  now  in 
the  country.  He  is  simple,  direct,  nervous,  chaste, 
eloquent.  James  F.  Clarke  is  one  of  the  best  and  most 
original  thinkers. 

Our  class  are  preaching  Sunday  evenings  in  the 
village  church  here.  My  connection  with  Mr.  Young's 
Sunday-school  is  a  source  of  a  great  deal  of  interesting 
and,  I  trust,  profitable  labor.  If  I  were  employed  with 
the  children  I  should  feel  myself  to  be  taken  from  my 
more  important  studies.  But  my  office  concerns  rather 
the  teachers  —  whom  I  meet  at  their  houses  on  the 
evenings  of  week-days  for  conversations,  religious, 
theological,  critical.  They  are  unrestrained,  sociable 
and  sensible.  Some  of  these  ladies  (there  is  only  one 
gentleman  and  he  is  silent  as  a  post)  are  very  talented 
and  very  cultivated  —  belong  to  the  "  first  circles  "  — 
.  (a  horrid  expression)  and  often  write  beautiful  essays. 
To  be  the  instructor  of  such  persons  requires  a  man 
to  have  his  wits  about  him,  at  least. 

During  the  senior  year  at  the  Divinity  School  he 
served  as  superintendent  of  the  Sunday-school  con- 
nected with  the  society  of  Rev.  Alexander  Young, 
at  Church  Green  in  Boston.  In  this  position  he  was 
the  successor  of  Rufus  Ellis,  one  year  in  advance  of 
him  at  Cambridge.  Rev.  Mr.  Ellis  became  pastor  of  the 
household  at  Elm  Valley,  during  his  ministry  at  the 


THE    DIVINE    COMMISSION  63 

Unitarian  church  in  Northampton.  Of  his  first  visit  to 
the  town,  with  his  friend  Huntington,  he  afterwards 
wrote  in  strains  of  deHghtful  retrospect. 

"  It  was  a  beautiful  day  in  the  earhest  autumn, 
when  two  of  us,  fellow  students  at  C.  climbed  up  to 
the  seat  behind  the  driver  on  the  old  'Putts-Bridge 
Stage,'  which  made  the  connection  in  those  days  be- 
tween the  Western  Railroad  and  Northampton.  Long 
ago  in  my  earliest  childhood,  I  had  seen  Holyoke  and 
Tom,  but  the  visions  had  passed  into  dreamland,  out 
of  which  they  seemed  to  come  naturally  enough  that 
refulgent  summer;  and  when  we  drew  up  at  length  at 
the  '  Mansion  House,'  after  crossing  the  ferry  at  Hock- 
anum  and  driving  none  too. slowly  through  the  rich 
unfenced  meadows,  came  back  the  associations  of  the 
time  when  it  was  filled  with  summer  strangers  and  the 
parents  of  Round  Hill  scholars.  ... 

'*  How  many  walks,  how  many  Sundays  followed! 
How  many  houses  became  homes,  and  would  still,  I 
think.  Shall  I  ever  have  time  to  carry  on  these  chapters  ? 
—  to  take  some  one  with  me  to  my  first  Association, 
(pronounced  then  by  the  elders  in  that  region  without 
the  second  syllable,  —  '  Assciation ')  to  go  over  in  some 
congenial  company  to  see  those  dear  old  saints  in  Had- 
ley;  that  calm  old  man,  quietly  farming  and  theologiz- 
ing upon  his  broad  rich  meadow,  not  knowing  what  a 
stir  the  son  who  returned  on  that  Saturday  for  his  va- 
cation was  destined  to  make  in  our  Zion;  that  true 
Christian  woman  his  wife,  that  courtly  and  melancholy 
and  wise  and  large-minded  gentleman  under  the  ever- 
greens in  the  brown  house  opposite."  ^ 

The  two  households  thus  affectionately  mentioned 
^  Memoir  of  Rufus  Ellis. 


64  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

by  one  who  was  their  minister  for  ten  years,  were  those 
of  Rev.  Dan  Huntington  and  Major  Charles  Phelps. 
The  latter,  Mrs.  Huntington's  only  brother,  had 
passed  some  years  of  his  life  in  Boston,  where  he  mar- 
ried first  a  niece  and  then  a  daughter  of  Chief  Justice 
Theophilus  Parsons.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar, 
elected  a  representative  of  the  General  Court  from 
Boston,  and  served  as  commander  of  the  celebrated 
company  of  cavalry,  the  Hussars,  his  immediate  pre- 
decessor being  Josiah  Quincy.  In  1816  he  removed  his 
family  to  Hadley,  where  he  built  a  commodious  house, 
"Pine  Grove."  In  the  town  and  county  he  distin- 
guished himself  as  an  influential  public  officer,  member 
at  different  times  of  both  houses  in  the  legislature, 
a  valued  counsellor  and  an  upright  and  honorable 
gentleman.  It  was  by  him  that  the  "Oliver  Smith 
Will"  was  drawn,  leaving  a  large  fortune  to  be  in- 
vested for  charitable  purposes,  which  are  widely 
known  as  "The  Smith  Charities."  The  suit  instituted 
by  the  heirs  to  break  the  will  became  famous  through 
the  celebrated  lawyers  engaged  by  the  opposing  parties. 

Daniel  Webster,  with  his  majestic  presence  and  his 
overpowering  weight  of  argument,  won  the  case,  but 
the  brilliant  eloquence  of  his  opponent,  Rufus  Choate, 
and  his  glowing  description  of  the  scenery  of  the 
Connecticut  Valley,  was  never  forgotten  by  those  who 
crow^ded  the  Northampton  courthouse  that  sum- 
mer's day  of  1847.  It  was  an  occasion  which  Mr. 
Huntington,  an  interested  listener,  often  afterwards 
described  with  inimitable  effect. 

Major  Phelps  spent  the  later  years  of  his  life  at  his 
Hadley  home  in  complete  retirement.  Through  their 
connections  in  Boston,  and  educational  advantages, 


THE    DIVINE    COMMISSION  65 

as  well  as  owing  to  their  tastes  and  temperament,  his 
children  grew  up  to  be  a  family  of  unusual  culture  and 
proved  congenial  neighbors  to  the  cousins  at  Elm 
Valley.  Two  sons,  Francis,  a  successful  teacher  of 
boys,  and  Arthur,  who  was  for  some  time  connected 
with  the  customhouse,  became  leading  members  of 
the  New  Church  (Swedenborgian)  in  Boston.  The 
third  daughter,  Caroline,  married  Stephen  Greenleaf 
Bulfinch,  a  Unitarian  clergyman,  son  of  the  eminent 
architect  and  himself  a  scholar  and  poet. 

It  was  not  without  some  struggles  and  inward  ques- 
tioning that  Huntington  remained  to  complete  his 
course  in  Cambridge.  The  Divinity  School  was  in  a 
transition  state,  his  resources  were  restricted,  and  only 
through  extra  work  and  close  economy  could  he  avoid 
becoming  an  expense  to  his  father.  At  the  same  time 
there  were  attractive  opportunities  already  open  to  one 
who  was  gifted  in  speech  and  eager  to  enter  active 
life  in  the  world.  But  sober  judgment  won  the  day, 
setting  the  true  value  upon  thorough  and  painstaking 
preparation  for  service.  In  after  years  his  sympathies 
were  especially  stirred  for  young  men  struggling  to 
secure  an  education  through  their  own  exertions. 

The  annual  visitation  of  the  Divinity  School  took 
place  July,  1842,  on  which  occasion  he  received  the 
certificate  of  a  theological  education  and  read  a  dis- 
sertation entitled,  "The  Comparative  Prospects  of 
Romanism  and  Protestantism."  At  the  request  of  Rev. 
Dr.  Gannett,  then  editor  of  the  "  Monthly  Miscellany 
of  Religion  and  Letters,"  the  paper  was  afterwards 
printed  in  that  magazine. 

His  character  had  matured  in  these  three  years  of 
study.    He  had  entered  as  a  country  youth,  little  ac- 


66  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

quainted  with  the  great  world  of  letters  and  of  men. 
From  books  and  study  he  had  gained  much,  to  men 
of  learning  he  had  listened  attentively  and  profited 
by  their  teaching.  But  his  convictions  were  acquired 
through  independence  of  thought,  and  he  carried  away 
from  his  theological  course  the  same  open  spirit  with 
which  he  had  entered  it.  If  one  word  could  sum  up 
the  quality  of  his  nature,  it  would  be  reality.  He  was 
eager  in  his  search  for  truth  and  single-minded  in  his 
purpose  to  interpret  honestly  the  message  revealed  to 
him. 

An  evidence  of  this  direction  of  his  intellectual 
aspiration  is  found  in  the  subject  he  selected  for  the 
"Master's  Oration"  which  he  delivered  at  Amherst 
College:  "A  Sincere  Belief  the  Source  of  a  True  Life.'* 
It  was  at  this  Commencement,  July  28,  1842,  that  he 
received  his  degree  of  A.M.,  a  few  weeks  after  his  final 
departure  from  Cambridge. 


CHAPTER   III 


THE  FIRST  CALL 


"  There  are  two  things  that  they  need  to  possess  who  go  on  pilgrim- 
age :  courage  and  an  unspotted  life." 

It  has  been  made  evident  that  there  was  no  hesitation 
in  Mr.  Huntington's  mind,  after  his  choice  was  fir§t 
determined,  as  to  his  calHng  to  enter  the  sacred  min- 
istry. His  incHnations  were  equally  distinct  toward 
parish  work.  The  seven  years  of  study,  happy  as  they 
were,  prepared  him  to  enter  all  the  more  eagerly  upon 
the  active  life  of  a  pastor.  From  the  beginning  he  was 
earnest  to  reach  the  souls  of  poor  as  well  as  rich,  to 
come  near  the  toiling  masses ;  and  his  father's  proposal 
to  him  to  take  charge  of  a  little  flock  in  one  of  the 
pleasant  villages  of  the  Connecticut  Valley,  did  not 
accord  with  this  ideal. 

It  was  not  in  his  character  to  look  out  for  a  set- 
tlement, or  to  concern  himself  as  to  the  best  open- 
ing for  the  future.  But  there  were  members  of 
the  Unitarian  denomination  in  Boston  already  in- 
terested to  retain  in  that  vicinity  a  promising  can- 
didate. The  first  entry  in  the  record  of  Sunday  minis- 
tration, kept  afterward  without  break  for  sixty-two 
years,  is:  — 

"After  leaving  the  Divinity  School,  July  17,  1842. 
Jamaica  Plain  a.  m.  and  p.  m." 


68  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

This  might  have  led  to  a  permanent  engagement, 
in  accordance  with  the  plans  of  friends,  if  he  had 
not  already  agreed  to  furnish  a  temporary  supply  for 
some  weeks  at  the  South  Congregational  society. 
This  parish,  situated  on  Washington  Street  at  the 
South  End,  was  reduced  in  numbers  and  prosperity, 
but  it  offered  an  opportunity  for  future  growth.  It 
was  placed  among  comfortable  homes,  and  yet  near 
the  crowded  districts  of  the  poorer  tenements.  The 
region  towards  Roxbury  was  a  pleasant  one,  but  it  did 
not  possess  the  oldtime  attraction  of  the  North  End, 
or  the  social  prestige  of  Beacon  Hill.  Although  the 
edifice  was  not  situated  in  a  public  centre,  within 
near  reach  of  city  crowds,  it  was  on  a  main  thorough- 
fare, was  sufficiently  spacious,  and  well  adapted  to 
parish  work.  To  this  field  an  invitation  was  extended 
on  August  7,  1842,  before  Mr.  Huntington  had  com- 
pleted the  term  of  his  temporary  charge.  It  was  a 
call  to  usefulness,  and  he  accepted  without  long  delay, 
entering  upon  his  duties  a  few  weeks  later. 

United  States  Hotel, 

July  19,  1842. 

To  Edward  Phelps  Huntington. 

Dearly  beloved  Brother:  —  Last  Sunday  I  preached 
for  the  first  time  as  a  real  preacher,  at  Jamaica  Plain. 
Such  a  world  of  artistic  and  natural  beauty  I  am  sure 
I  never  was  in  before.  They  invited  me  from  one  coun- 
try seat  to  another,  and  from  one  garden  of  fruits  and 
flowers  to  another,  till  I  was  almost  bewildered,  as  if 
in  fairyland.  The  famous  Community  too,  near  there, 
was  looked  at.  D wight  hoes  com  Sundays.  Some  sail, 
some  walk,  some  hear  Parker  preach.     The  general 


THE    FIRST    CALL  69 

feeling  with  which  I  came  away  was  one  of  sadness  and 
commiseration. 

Nearly  forty  years  later  Bishop  Huntington  wrote 
of  the  Brook  Farm  experiment :  "  This  was  a  sanguine 
attempt  of  Mr.  Ripley,  and  a  few  of  his  friends,  to 
embody  in  a  modified  form,  on  a  large  tract  of  land, 
some  of  the  better  suggestions  of  the  French  Com- 
munists, to  give  everybody  something  to  do  in  some 
bucolic  fashion,  to  afford  a  convenient  rallying-place 
for  the  symposia  of  the  coming  reformers  of  religion, 
literature,  society,  and  so  to  offer  a  model  of  respectable, 
cultured  Christian  Fourierism,  with  Fourier  and  much 
of  his  nonsense  left  out.  Fine  times  they  had  there 
beyond  question,  with  much  that  was  pure  and  sincere 
and  lofty  in  aspiration  and  conversation,  and  much 
that  was  sentimental,  crude  and  ridiculous.  Theodore 
Parker  used  to  come  often  across  the  pastures  to  talk 
with  such  good  company,  the  farm  lying  within  the 
precincts  of  his  parish.  Of  an  evening  the  group  would 
include  very  much  the  same  persons,  not  a  few  of  them 
already  or  afterwards  eminent,  that  had  been  accus- 
tomed to  gather  in  the  parlors  of  Mrs.  Farrar  in  Cam- 
bridge, Mrs.  Parkman  in  Boston,  or  at  Mr.  Emer- 
son's own  house  in  Concord,  or  that  contributed  prose 
or  verse,  or  '  Orphic  sayings '  which  were  neither,  to  the 
pages  of  *the  Dial.'  Central  in  the  circle,  and  always 
oracular  in  speech,  each  on  a  separate  tripod,  were 
Bronson  Alcott,  Margaret  Fuller,  and  Mr.  Emerson. 

"Hawthorne  occasionally  looked  in,  in  his  silent 
observant  way,  but  did  not  commit  himself.  Of  the 
young  listeners  and  enthusiastic  seekers  were  Wheeler 
and  Bartlett,  Jones  Very,  J.  S.  Dwight  the  musician 


70  FREDERIC   DAN   HUNTINGTON 

and  the  lady  he  married,  George  W.  Curtis  and  a  few 
foreigners.  So  the  experiment  went  on,  hastening  to 
dissolution  and  moribund  from  the  start.  If  there  were 
affinities,  so  were  there  antipathies  and  repulsions. 
Queer  people,  impracticable  people,  disagreeable  peo- 
ple, in  short  bores  and  dunces,  always  attach  themselves 
to  novel  combinations  of  that  sporadic  sort.  Mr.  Ripley 
was  no  quartermaster,  organizer  or  financier.  The 
turnips  and  potatoes  languished  while  the  builders 
of  the  Future  *  cultivated  literature  on  a  little  oatmeal.' 
The  weeds  grew  rank  while  the  unanxious  husband- 
men discussed  the  Vedas,  recited  Schiller,  laid  down 
the  principles  of  every  one  of  the  fine  arts,  or  pondered 
the  problems  of  the  universe.  Before  very  long  that 
pleasant  place  of  cattle  and  corn  and  poultry  knew 
them  no  more.  The  leader  of  the  enterprise  went  to 
the  Tribune  office,  Mr.  Curtis  in  due  time  to  his 
editorial  chair,  the  rest  hither  and  thither  to  seek  their 
bread.  Another  was  added  to  the  long  list  of  com- 
munistic failures,  God  having  clearly  ordained  that 
his  sons  and  daughters  shall  dwell  in  families,  and  that 
the  laws  of  life  and  duty,  labor  and  thrift,  responsi- 
bility and  increase,  shall  not  be  abrogated  by  the 
dreams  of  dreamers,  however  amiable  or  honest  or 
gifted  they  may  be." 

It  has  been  seen  that  neither  literary  nor  social  in- 
clination led  Mr.  Huntington  among  the  followers  of 
Transcendentalism.  He  threw  himself  from  the  first 
heart  and  soul  into  the  work  of  building  up  his  church, 
and  beyond  his  parish  visits  his  leisure  was  spent  in 
an  acquaintance  which  ripened  into  something  deeper 
than  friendship.  The  Bible  class  which  he  had  con- 
ducted during  the  winter  of  1842  in  Rev.  Mr.  Young's 


THE    FIRST    CALL  71 

society  proved  to  be  of  supreme  personal  importance 
since  it  was  here  that  he  first  met  his  future  wife, 
one  of  the  teachers  in  the  Sunday-school  and  an  ear- 
nest member  of  the  congregation.  The  engagement 
which  took  place  in  September  could  not  fail  to  arouse 
a  good  deal  of  interest,  as  it  followed  so  closely  the 
young  minister's  introduction  to  his  field  of  labor. 

Hannah  Dane  Sargent  was  only  nineteen  years  old, 
and  one  of  a  large  family  of  brothers  and  sisters.  In 
communicating  his  happiness  to  his  brother  Edward, 
Mr.  Huntington  writes :  "  Her  father,  Epes  Sargent,  is 
a  merchant  in  the  foreign  trade.  Her  brothers  you 
must  know  something  of,  Epes  is  a  literary  man  by 
profession  —  former  editor  of  the  New  World,  — 
author  of  Velasco,  and  many  other  things.  John  O. 
has  been  the  editor  of  the  Courier  and  Inquirer  and 
of  the  Boston  Atlas  —  is  now  a  lawyer  in  New  York. 
The  family  is  large,  refined,  affectionate  and  a  little 
proud.  Gen.  Lincoln  of  the  Revolution  was  her  great- 
grandfather." 

The  letter  announcing  to  his  parents  his  prospects 
of  marriage  was  entrusted  to  his  brother  Charles,  at 
that  time  a  member  of  the  General  Court,  to  take  back 
when  he  returned  to  his  home  in  Northampton.  These 
were  still  the  days  when  it  was  an  object  to  send  mis- 
sives by  private  hand.  Delays  and  disappointments 
naturally  resulted  from  the  system  of  entrusting  cor- 
respondence to  the  chance  transportation  of  friends  and 
neighbors.  One  often  finds  in  reading  the  old  epistles 
that  some  recognition  or  word  of  sympathy  eagerly 
looked  for  by  the  absent  one  was  hindered  by  a  slight 
circumstance  or  a  change  of  plan  of  the  travelers 
going  back  and  forth.   For  some  years  Rev.  Dan  Hunt- 


72  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

ington  held  the  office  of  postmaster  in  the  village  of 
North  Hadley,  employing  the  assistance  of  his  sons, 
for  a  nominal  salary  which  included  the  privilege  of 
sending  mail  matter  exempt  from  postage,  an  item  of 
importance  to  so  large  a  family. 

The  parents  from  Hadley  had  visited  Boston  during 
"  Anniversary  Week  "  of  the  previous  spring,  enjoying 
as  usual  the  gatherings  for  philanthropy  and  religious 
objects,  but  they  made  the  journey  again  in  October,  to 
meet  their  son's  promised  bride  and  to  attend  his 
installation. 

The  ordination  services  of  Mr.  Frederic  D.  Hunt- 
ington, as  pastor  of  the  South  Congregational  Church 
and  Society,  took  place  on  the  evening  of  the  19th  of 
October,  1842.  The  introductory  prayer  was  by  the 
Rev.  Chandler  Robbins;  selections  from  Scripture 
were  read  by  Rev.  James  F.  Clarke;  the  sermon  was 
delivered  by  the  Rev.  George  Putnam;  prayer  of 
ordination  offered  by  Rev.  N.  L.  Frothingham;  the 
charge  by  the  Rev.  Dan  Huntington,  the  venerable 
father  of  the  candidate ;  the  right  hand  of  fellowship 
was  extended  by  Rev.  J.  I.  T.  Coolidge,  an  intimate 
friend  and  classmate  at  Cambridge ;  the  address  to  the 
society  made  by  Rev.  George  E.  Ellis,  and  the  conclud- 
ing prayer  offered  by  Rev.  H.  W.  Bellows. 

The  young  pastor's  active  sympathies  and  strong 
sense  of  social  responsibility  rendered  the  calls  of  a 
city  parish  inspiring,  and  his  spiritual  nature  found 
deep  satisfaction  in  the  opportunity  for  kindling  souls 
to  the  higher  life. 

He  wrote  to  his  brother:  "The  ordination  exercises, 
as  you  will  learn  by  the  Transcript  and  the  Times, 
were  interesting  and  eloquent  to  a  most  unusual  degree. 


THE    FIRST    CALL  73 

Father's  charge  seems  to  have  been  quite  the  lion  of  the 
occasion.  Boston  people  think  him  a  splendid  gentle- 
man of  the  old  School.  The  hymns  were  compiled  by 
me,  principally  from  Bryant,  Kirk  White,  Norton, 
Frothingham  and  Pierpont. 

'*  No  longer  am  I,  as  heretofore,  my  own  man.  God 
help  me  to  be  a  servant  of  my  people  and  of  his  Truth. 
My  introductory  sermons  are  on  'The  influence  of 
worship  on  duty '  and  '  The  mission  and  office  of  the 
Christian  minister,  in  the  present  age.' " 

October,  1842. 

Dear  and  kind  Mother  :  —  Your  letter,  full  of 
comfort  and  pleasing  and  strengthening  and  enliven- 
ing words,  must  receive  but  a  short  reply.  I  have  never 
known  before  what  real  duties  are.  All  the  day  I  have 
been  attending  to  the  printing  press  (preparing  the 
Ordination  exercises  for  the  public)  and  visiting  the 
sick  and  afflicted.  I  take  these  first  in  my  parish  calls, 
because  I  think  they  have  the  first  claim.  A  sermon  is 
yet  to  be  written  before  Sunday,  and  a  child  on  that 
day  is  to  be  baptized  in  the  church. 

Wednesday,  the  girl  in  whom  "new  wisdom  every 
hour  I  see  "  and  who  certainly  has  a  depth  of  spiritual 
beauty  and  gentle  feeling  and  refined  thought  that  I 
did  not  half  understand  when  I  first  gave  myself  to  her 
—  rode  with  me  to  Hiiigham.  The  occasion  at  Co- 
hasset  was  well.  Thursday  we  came  back.  Her  friends 
the  Lincolns,^  have  just  such  a  home  as  our  own,  — 

^  The  mother  of  Hannah  Dane  Sargent  was  Mary  Otis  Lincoln, 
a  grand-daughter  of  General  Benjamin  Lincoln  whose  ancient  man- 
sion in  Hingham  is  above  referred  to.  It  was  then,  and  is  still  the 
property  of  one  branch  of  the  family. 


74  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

the  same  air  of  comfort  and  ease  and  old-fashioned 
enjoyment  and  furniture. 

U.  S.  Hotel, 
Boston,  Jan.  18,  '43. 

My  Dear  Mother  :  —  I  am  not  quite  so  much  hur- 
ried, —  I  hope  I  never  shall  be  as  to  cut  me  off  from 
communing  with  my  friends.  Among  all  my  duties  and 
engagements^  I  imagine  I  shall  always  keep  one  va- 
cant place  sacred  at  least  for  my  mother  and  father,  and 
I  should  be  rather  surprised  if  it  should  not  be  kept 
large  enough  to  include  my  sisters  and  brothers. 

I  send  the  "Examiner"  containing  an  excellent 
article  by  Mr.  Henry  Ware,  on  Peace.  It  belongs  to 
Edward  and  is  sent  to  you  because  I  know  you  would 
like  to  read  it. 

In  the  parish  we  seem  to  labor  not  altogether  in 
vain ;  if  we  grew  in  grace  as  rapidly  as  in  numbers,  we 
should  soon  come  to  the  perfect  measure.  Last  Sab- 
bath evening  my  Missionary  sermon  was  followed  up 
by  a  meeting,  and  a  Committee  of  ten  chosen  to  visit 
the  whole  congregation  and  solicit  subscriptions.  We 
shall  have  a  contribution  besides  from  those  who  don't 
like  to  subscribe.  The  whole  day  —  Communion 
Sunday  —  was  peculiarly  happy  and  prospered.  We 
have  social  Teachers*  meetings  once  a  month  and 
meetings  for  religious  instruction  and  conversation,  of 
all  who  will  attend,  once  a  fortnight.  These  are  at- 
tended with  great  interest  at  private  houses.  Last 
Monday,  a  stormy  evening,  the  house  was  full  to  over- 

^  During  the  winter  of  the  year  1843  Mr.  Huntington  was  chap- 
lain of  the  Legislature,  in  connection  with  Rev.  Edward  N.  Kirk,  it 
being  the  pohcy  at  that  time  to  select  one  from  the  Unitarian  and 
one  from  the  Orthodox  denominations. 


THE    FIRST    CALL  75 

flowing.  The  exercise  consists  principally  of  a  familiar 
lecture  —  extemporaneous —  from  myself  —  on  the  N. 
T.  We  have  commenced  the  Gospel  of  John.  Some 
one  told  me  that  the  poorer  people  felt  ashamed  to 
come.  Last  Sabbath  therefore,  in  as  delicate  a  way  as  I 
could,  I  gave  them  a  particular  invitation,  and  told  the 
rest  of  the  Society  somewhat  bluntly,  that  if  any  of 
them  came  to  exhibit  fashion  or  taste  or  any  external 
accomplishment  they  would  better  dress  in  the  plainest 
garb  they  could  find  or  stay  away  altogether. 

The  correspondence  between  the  two  brothers  had 
been  a  close  one  since  Frederic's  college  days,  in  spite 
of  the  fact  that  Edward  was  the  senior  by  twelve  years. 
He  had  not  taken  a  college  course,  but  had  engaged  in 
business  and  was  most  happily  married  in  the  year 
1841,  and  settled  near  Springfield.  His  tastes  were 
literary,  and  he  entered  with  deep  sympathy  into  the 
details  of  professional  work.  To  the  great  sorrow  of 
his  family  he  was  taken  away,  in  a  rapid  decline,  less 
than  six  months  after  the  following  letter  was  written. 
The  occasion  was  a  call  to  New  York,  from  the  Church 
of  the  Messiah,  inviting  the  Rev.  Frederic  Huntington 
to  become  an  associate  to  the  Rev.  Dr.  Dewey,  who 
was  out  of  health. 

Cabotville,  March  1,  1843. 
Dear  Frederic  :  —  Mr.  Mills  a  few  evenings  since 
made  a  remark  illustrative  of  the  confidence  in  men  of 
the  power  of  money  for  any  end,  however  base,  which 
was  truly  shocking.  Speaking  of  his  parish,  and  the 
propriety  of  going  to  another  in  Boston  to  supply  the 
vacancy  he  said  he  had  no  question.    The  parish  that 


76  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

could  give  the  most  —  offer  the  greatest  inducements  — 
was  entitled  to  the  man.  This  idea  wants  to  be  prac- 
tically contradicted.  Men  should  be  disabused  of  this 
pernicious  doctrine;  and  it  would  be  worth  one  life 
to  show  men  that  other  things  are  paramount.  Are 
such  things  esteemed  folly?  So  is  true  wisdom  even. 
It  is  not  tempted  by  a  view  of  this  world  and  their 
glory.  The  proposal  has  been  made  public  as  if  tri- 
umphantly, a  bauble  no  one  could  refuse.  The  eyes  of 
the  world  are  on  the  decision  and  the  world  says  "  he'll 
go."    But  this  is  nothing  compared  to  the  test. 

Your  opportunities  for  study  and  usefulness  which 
are  indeed  things  of  highest  regard  are  quite  equal. 
Go  there  and  in  five  years  you  will  either  break  down 
or  bum  out.  You  know  my  doctrine  has  always  been 
that  it  is  better  that  a  man  make  his  place  shine  than 
that  a  place  make  the  man  shine.  Act  calmly,  use 
reason,  take  counsel  of  conscience  and  God's  word. 
Act  so  as  best  to  promote  the  interests  of  the  Gospel 
you  preach,  not  only  in  probable  results  but  immediate. 
God  guide  you:  very  affectionately, 

Edw.  p.  Huntington. 

The  inducements  and  arguments  to  accept  the  in- 
vitation to  New  York  could  not  be  lightly  set  aside. 
Miss  Sargent's  two  brothers,  Epes  and  John  O.,  were 
living  in  New  York.  They  realized  the  opportunity 
in  that  city  for  a  young  man  whose  talents  had  built 
up  a  city  parish  to  such  unexpected  numbers  and 
financial  prosperity  in  a  few  months.  The  salary  of- 
fered was  comparatively  large  and  the  position  a  con- 
spicuous one  in  the  Unitarian  denomination.  Rev. 
Dr.  Bellows,  in  common  with  influential  New  York 


THE    FIRST    CALL  77 

laymen,  made  a  plea  as  much  for  the  cause  of  liberal 
Christianity  as  for  the  parish  itself.  It  was  an  opening 
which  appealed  to  ambition  and  offered  many  attrac- 
tions. But  the  claims  in  Boston  were  such  that  Mr. 
Huntington  could  not  long  hesitate.  He  decided  that 
his  duty  lay  in  the  field  which  he  had  entered  so  short 
a  time  before,  and  with  a  people  who  had  generously 
responded  to  his  plans. 

He  writes,  March  4,  1843,  to  John  O.  Sargent:  — 

"Any  man  could  have  gone  with  an  easier  con- 
science than  I.  As  it  is,  all  is  well.  .  .  .  Here  my  re- 
lations are  perhaps  more  agreeable  than  before.  Our 
people  are  full  of  enterprise  and  hope  and  growth." 

The  expressions  of  confidence  and  affection  for  their 
preacher  were  indeed  such  as  to  encourage  him  to 
remain.  Still  preserved  are  letters  written  at  that  time 
by  three  men,  Jonathan  Ellis,  John  Nazro,  and  David 
Reed,  who  in  urging  him  to  stay  by  them  gave  a  pledge 
of  hearty  support  which  never  failed.  Of  his  people, 
their  pastor  could  say  in  farewell,  when  the  final 
parting  came,  that  they  were  "  more  than  friends,  — 
the  fellow-worshippers  of  thirteen  unclouded,  blessed 
years;  the  companions  of  how  many  a  secret  experi- 
ence, how  many  a  shaded  room,  where  life  and  death 
were  struggling  for  reconciliation,  how  many  a  solemn 
communion,  where  love  and  trust  were  gently  striving 
to  cast  out  doubt  and  fear." 

It  has  been  said  that  there  were  few  instances  where 
the  mutual  affection  of  minister  and  people  was  so 
great.  If  the  pulpit  was  conspicuous  for  its  devotional 
and  uplifting  character  the  hearers  were  no  less  earnest 
in  the  application  of  the  sermon  to  their  daily  lives. 
The  Rev.  Edward  E.  Hale,  writing  of  Mr.  Huntington, 


78  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

his  immediate  predecessor,  called  it  "an  intense  and 
eager  preaching  which  is  not  satisfied  until  the  whole 
man  is  quickened  and  his  life  fired.  At  the  same  time 
he  is  an  organizer  as  he  has  always  been.  I  have  been 
told  that  in  college  he  was  called,  in  joke,  the  *  Major 
General,'  and  I  can  well  believe  it.  He  did  not  mean 
to  do  all  the  work  of  a  church,  active  and  eager  though 
he  were.  He  meant  to  have  its  members  work,  and 
where  he  led  the  way  they  followed  loyally. 

"Never  was  a  ministry  more  successful.  The 
church  was  full;  the  charities  were  admirably  ad- 
ministered; the  Sunday-school  was  in  perfect  order. 
More  than  this,  oh  so  much  more  than  this,  hearts  had 
found  living  food  here  that  had  hungered  and  thirsted 
elsewhere.  Here  were  those  who  had  heard  no  peace 
elsewhere  and  had  found  it  here.  Here  were  voices 
pleading  with  God,  and  finding  an  answer,  who  had 
not  known  how  to  plead  before.  Here  was  sin  repent- 
ant and  forgiven.  Here  were  exiles  who  had  been  lost 
and  were  found.  Here  were  those  who  were  all  alone 
in  a  strange  city  and  in  this  church,  in  its  fellow- 
ship and  its  minister  had  found  companionship  and 
a  new  life." 

The  impression  Mr.  Huntington's  personality  made 
upon  a  casual  listener  is  given  in  the  following  sketch, 
published  in  the  local  press  of  the  day. 

"  The  prevailing  quality  of  his  character  is  exhibited 
in  the  deep  and  heartfelt  seriousness  which  pervades 
his  whole  manner,  in  the  solemn  and  impressive  tones 
of  his  voice,  and  in  the  great  scope  and  dignity  of  the 
thoughts  he  utters.  The  style  of  his  composition  is 
elegant,  refined,  and  polished  —  but  his  innate  power  of 
mind,   strength  of  character  and   range   of  thought, 


THE    FIRST    CALL  79 

overwhelms  and  obscures,  in  a  measure,  even  those 
high  graces  of  art.  He  seemed  to  us  Hke  a  wise  and 
devout  statesman,  deeply  versed  in  the  study  of  that 
greatest  of  all  studies  —  the  riddle  of  the  universe  — 
human  nature.  He  is  a  man  fitted  by  the  constitution 
of  his  mind  to  rule  among  men  —  to  govern,  direct,  and 
harmonize  a  society,  or  a  community.  He  would 
make  an  excellent  governor  of  a  colony.  He  would  en- 
joy the  respect,  esteem,  and  confidence  of  his  people; 
and  all  his  acts  would  be  distinguished  for  their  sense, 
judgment,  dignity  and  humanity." 

One  recognizes  in  this  early  portrait  those  com- 
manding qualities  which  for  thirty-five  years  distin- 
guished the  bishop  of  the  Diocese  of  Central  New 
York.  But  far  beyond  any  executive  ability  or  literary 
distinction  was  the  spiritual  influence  of  the  preacher. 
It  is  the  blessed  privilege  of  a  consecrated  ministry 
like  his  to  impress  upon  the  hearts  of  his  hearers  the 
reality  of  a  personal  Saviour.  No  negations,  omissions, 
or  deviations  in  theology  obscured  the  presentation 
of  the  Living  Redeemer  as  a  source  of  holiness  and 
strength  to  those  who  seek  Him.  It  was  for  this  water 
of  life  to  thirsty  souls  that  many  orthodox  believers, 
from  other  Christian  bodies,  found  their  way  on  Sun- 
day afternoons  to  the  comer  of  Castle  Street,  and 
received  religious  inspiration  and  renewal. 

On  September  4,  1843,  Frederic  Dan  Huntington 
and  Hannah  Dane  Sargent  were  married  at  the  resi- 
dence of  the  bride's  father  in  Hartford  Place.  The 
ceremony  was  performed  by  the  Rev.  Alexander 
Young,  the  family  pastor.  The  couple  took  a  wedding 
journey,  which  for  those  days  was  quite  extensive, 
reaching  Niagara  Falls,  visiting  friends  in  the  towns 


80  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

and  cities  of  New  York  State,  and  ending  at  Elm 
Valley  in  Hadley. 

Mr.  Huntington  preached  in  Albany  and  Rochester 
to  Unitarian  congregations.  The  following  character- 
istic letter  from  Rev.  Dan  Huntington  outlines  the 
trip,  although  it  was  not  precisely  carried  out  as  he 
advises. 

Elm  Valley,  Sept.,  1843. 

Dear  Frederic  :  —  As  you  are  about  to  journey 
through  a  new  and  interesting  part  ©f  the  country,  I 
would  make  the  most  of  it  as  a  tourist.  And  to  that 
end,  I  would  abandon  as  much  as  possible  all  rail- 
roads, canals  and  steamboats.  As  it  relates  to  any 
pleasure  as  a  tourist,  I  should  about  as  soon  take  a  ride 
through  thd  centre  of  the  earth,  if  it  were  properly 
perforated,  as  to  be  transported  in  cars  or  steamboats, 
or  any  other  boats.  By  all  means  get  a  peep  at  all  the 
villages,  and  hamlets,  and  mountains  and  plains,  and 
lakes  and  waterfalls,  of  our  beautiful  country  as  far 
as  possible.  Let  none  escape,  where  you  go.  To  this 
end  travel  on  the  top  of  stages,  in  buggies  and  in  cabs 
and  if  there  is  no  other  way,  trips  on  foot  occasionally 
will  do  you  no  harm. 

In  Rochester,  make  yourself  known  to  Mrs.  Backus, 
the  widow  of  Dr.  Backus,  my  old  neighbor  and  Presi- 
dent of  Hamilton  College.  In  Trenton,  report  yourself 
to  the  Van  der  Kemps.  One  of  them  you  know  is  a 
correspondent  of  your  mother.  In  Utica,  report  your- 
self to  Judge  Bacon,  the  poet,  the  Judge,  the  Philoso- 
pher, my  classmate  and  correspondent,  his  wife  one 
of  the  lambs  of  my  flock  at  Litchfield,  a  particular 
friend  of  Judge  Story.  Make  it  an  object  to  see  the 
great  number  of  neat  and   pleasant  villages   about 


THE    FIRST    CALL  81 

Utica.  When  on  the  North  river  call  over  to  Saratoga  — 
Ballston  —  Troy  —  Waterford,  the  Minister's  wife  here 
was  Betsey  Porter.  Stop  if  you  please  at  Pittsfield  one 
night,  take  a  horse  and  buggy  and  travel  up  and  down 
the  valley  of  the  Housatonic,  one  of  the  finest  tracts 
of  country  in  the  world,  embracing  Stockbridge, 
Lenox,  Sheffield,  Great  Barrington,  Lanesboro,  Wil- 
liamstown   &c.    I  have  not  time  to  proceed. 

Tell  Hannah  I  now  love  her  as  a  daughter,  one 
among  the  first  nine  or  ten  in  the  world.  Wishing  you 
both  much  joy, 

I  am  affectionately  yours, 

D.  Huntington. 

"Your  Aunt  Lyman  with  a  numerous  progeny  are 
in  Western  New  York.  See  them  all.  Edward  can 
tell  you  who  and  where  they  are." 

The  death  of  Edward  Phelps  Huntington  occurred 
only  a  month  after  his  brother's  marriage.  The  fol- 
lowing letter  was  written  to  their  sister,  in  the  family 
home. 

Boston,  Oct.  30,  '43. 

My  dear  Sister  Bethia  :  —  From  the  letters  writ- 
ten last  week,  I  was  made  aware  with  what  unexpected 
rapidity  the  disease  was  acting.  Finding  no  farther 
information  Saturday  evening  I  had  made  up  my 
mind  that  the  suffering  man  was  not  yet  released. 
Charles,  however,  had  written  me  on  Friday  of  his 
death,  though  from  some  delay  his  communication  did 
not  reach  me  till  this  (Monday)  noon.  You  are  this 
very  afternoon  laying  away  the  dust,  made  precious 
to  us  by  the  spirit  that  animated  it,  out  of  all  human 
sight.     May  God's  blessed  and  comforting  spirit  be 


82  FREDERIC    DAN   HUNTINGTON 

with  you  all.  May  he  send  down  upon  the  house  and 
the  hearts  that  are  made  dark  with  mourning,  the  light 
of  his  own  fatherly  smile  and  favor.  May  he  give  you 
joy  for  mourning,  the  garment  of  praise  for  the  spirit 
of  heaviness. 

Knowing  how  much  our  brother  must  have  longed 
for  his  freedom,  knowing  what  a  burden  to  him  that 
aching  body  must  be,  knowing  how  infinite  to  him 
must  be  the  gain  of  separation,  I  was  ready,  willing, 
almost  eager  to  hear  of  the  consummation.  Thanks 
be  to  the  Father  of  all  mercies  that  he  does  not  chain 
the  soul  to  its  cumbering  tenement  forever.  Thanks 
be  given  to  him  that  after  a  little  discipline  of  pain,  he 
takes  the  part  that  cannot  perish,  into  a  world  congenial 
to  its  high  attributes,  to  its  glorious  nature.  I  could 
have  wished  indeed  to  have  been  able  to  see  the  patient 
look,  and  hear  the  kind  voice  once  more.  But  that 
could  not  be  and  I  am  content.  The  uncertainties  of 
the  case  and  my  duties  here  have  prevented  my  being 
with  you.  You  have  better  consolations  than  any 
mortal  lips  could  speak,  I  am  sure. 

It  can  hardly  be  supposed  that  the  calmness  with 
which  affliction  is  met  and  submitted  to,  is  a  sure  test 
of  the  depth  or  vitality  of  our  Christian  affections  and 
principles  and  hopes.  Yet  I  do  believe  if  we  are  true  to 
our  Master  and  his  Revelation  we  shall  not  fail  to  see 
what  inestimable  compensations  there  are  for  those 
who  die  beheving,  and  for  those  who  are  left  lonely  by 
their  departure.  "  Whoever  beheveth  in  me  shall  never 
die.  And  whosoever  liveth  and  beheveth  in  me,  tho' 
he  were  dead  yet  shall  he  live."  How  much  more  intense 
was  the  anguish  of  Christ,  often  —  his  physical  pain 
and  his  inward  suffering  both  —  than  ours  can  be ! 


THE    FIRST    CALL  83 

And  yet  how  little  he  seemed  to  grieve !  How  invincible 
was  his  fortitude!  How  calm  his  patience!  How  un- 
disturbed his  tranquillity  —  because  he  stood  so  near 
to  God. 

It  should  be,  surely,  our  full  satisfaction  that  we 
can  find,  as  we  contemplate  the  character  and  life  of 
our  brother,  how  successfully  he  had  struggled  to  form 
himself  after  Christ's  own  image;  how  many  of  his 
virtues  he  had  gained;  how  much  of  a  like  heavenly 
temper  of  self-sacrifice,  benevolence  and  piety  pos- 
sessed him  continually.  He  has  gone  where  there  is 
no  sorrow,  nor  sighing,  nor  distress.  We  will  all  say  it 
is  well.    We  will  not  complain.    We  will  only  strive  to 

be  better  than  before. 

Boston,  Dec.  23. 

My  dear  Mother  : —  Thanks,  ten  thousand  thanks 
for  your  letter.  It  was  full  of  home,  of  both  homes,  the 
earthly  and  the  heavenly.  What  beautiful  sentences 
those  of  Edward  that  Father  found!  They  are  worth 
a  long  search.  They  seem  like  a  new  chapter  of  the 
Gospel  —  the  gospel  of  love  and  self-renunciation, 
and  calm  trust  in  God. 

Your  letters  have  a  faculty  of  seating  me  down  in 
the  old  fireside.  How  I  wish  I  could  in  reahty  sit  down 
there  now,  —  this  quiet  Saturday  evening.  What 
would  I  not  give  for  one  of  those  ancient  Saturday 
evenings  when  we  were  all  together.  I  am  not  very 
bttsy,  as  I  am  to  preach  at  the  College  Chapel  to-mor- 
row, on  an  exchange  with  Dr.  Walker.  Day  after 
to-morrow  is  Christmas.  I  am  told  EUis  holds  a  service 
and  I  hope  you  will  be  able  to  attend.  Mr.  Putnam  is 
to  preach  at  King's  Chapel,  and  that  will  give  me  a 
chance  to  Hsten.  I  like  the  observance  of  Christmas. 


84  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

You  speak  of  my  walks  among  the  poor  and  Han- 
nah's. You  would  be  interested  in  some  of  our  cases. 
There  is  a  devoted  company  of  good  women  in  my 
flock,  that  I  can  call  upon  for  aid  at  any  moment,  and 
all  together  we  trust  we  are  bringing  some  comfort 
into  a  good  many  cellars  and  hovels.  It  is  enough  to 
make  one  sick  to  see  the  wretchedness  we  go  amidst 
sometimes.  But  the  Benevolent  Societies  are  so  active 
that  few  are  left  without  fuel  and  provisions.  I  send 
you  a  circular  that  I  was  appointed  to  draw  up  a  few 
days  ago. 

The  Ladies'  Society  of  which  the  pastor  speaks 
in  such  words  of  confidence  and  commendation  was 
in  existence  when  he  took  the  parish.  Under  the 
name  of  "The  South  Friendly  "  it  held  a  long  record 
for  good  works.  Rev.  Mr.  Hale  calls  it  "an  elastic 
organization  ready  for  the  largest  or  the  smallest  duty. 
It  could  clothe  regiments  for  the  war,  as  it  has  done, 
or  it  could  sell  a  buttonhole  bouquet  on  May  morning 
as  it  has  done.  It  was  equipped  for  the  duties  of  hos- 
pitality, of  worship,  of  charity,  of  education.  Here 
was  a  step  quite  in  advance  of  the  average  Boston 
congregation  of  the  generation  before  this  church 
was  founded." 

Of  his  methods  of  parish  work  the  young  minister 
writes  to  his  parents :  "  Our  vestry  meetings  —  once 
a  fortnight  —  have  begun.  We  have  a  devotional 
exercise,  sing  twice,  meditate  a  little;  I  deliver  a 
familiar  lecture  on  some  topic  connected  with  the 
religious  life,  and  after  some  general  conversation 
we  separate.  We  talk  of  having  a  public  service  on 
the  last  night  of  the  year." 


THE    FIRST    CALL  85 

But  it  was  not  only  in  his  own  parish  that  the  effect 
of  Mr.  Huntington's  energy  and  earnestness  in  active 
work  were  felt.  '*To  him  as  much  as  to  any  man 
Boston  owes  the  systematic  arrangement  of  the  Provi- 
dent Association  for  the  reUef  of  the  poor,  set  on  foot 
by  him  and  his  friends  in  the  southern  wards,  and 
enlarged  to  take  in  all  the  city." 

The  plans  for  regular  registration,  sectional  visit- 
ing, intelligent  investigation,  cooperation  with  pubhc 
authorities  and  with  other  charitable  societies,  were 
features  much  the  same  as  those  introduced  twenty -five 
years  later  by  the  united  charity  organizations.  The 
South  End  Provident  Association  was  inaugurated  in 
1851  with  Rev.  Mr.  Huntington  for  its  president.  Its 
objects  were  "  not  only  to  succor  existing  misery,  excite 
the  indolent  to  labor,  and  restrain  the  vicious,  but 
to  make  some  permanent  contribution  to  the  sanitary, 
economical,  and  moral  welfare  of  the  suffering  classes 
in  our  large  towns  and  cities." 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Huntington  began  housekeeping  at 
No.  20  Harrison  Avenue,  next  door  to  their  lifelong 
friends  Rev.  James  I.  T.  Coolidge,  Minister  of  Pur- 
chase street  church,  and  his  wife,  who  was  Mary 
Rogers,  a  niece  of  Dr.  William  Ellery  Channing. 

Boston,  Oct.  5,  1843. 
To  Miss  Bethia  Huntington. 

My  dear  Sister  ;  —  It  has  taken  just  about  one  week 
to  get  into  a  settled  state  —  a  straightforward  path. 
People  say  we  look  here  now  as  if  we  had  been  house- 
keepers a  dozen  years.  In  truth  I  almost  feel  so  myself. 
I  thank  Heaven  daily  for  my  home.  Friends  are  kind 
and  callers  are  plenty,  quite  sufficiently  so.   Hannah  is 


86  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

as  easy  and  matronly  as  possible.  Monday  evening  the 
house  was  open  to  the  parish  and  thronged.  Everything 
was  on  a  simple  and  informal  scale  and  I  intend  to 
repeat  the  thing  on  the  first  Monday  evening  of  each 
month. 

The  congregation  was  generous  and  appreciative. 
The  following  spring,  May  15,  1844,  after  a  visit  to 
the  young  couple  his  father  writes : "  The  little  hoist  to 
your  salary  was  a  very  good  hit.  The  next  time  we 
visit  you  may  it  be  up  to  $2500.  Some  of  your  good 
folks  talked  with  me  on  the  subject,  altogether  gratui- 
tously on  their  part,  saying  that  they  were  growing 
rich  by  your  popularity,  and  that  they  had  no  desire 
to  put  it  into  their  ovm  pockets.  I  barely  observed  that 
it  was  a  good  thought." 

On  July  3, 1844,  the  first  child  was  bom,  an  event  of 
joy  and  thankfulness  to  his  parents.  He  was  named 
George  Putnam,  after  his  father's  valued  friend  and 
counselor,  the  pastor  of  the  First  Church  in  Roxbury. 

In  1845  Mr.  Huntington  purchased  a  very  pleasant 
house  in  Roxbury,  which  was  his  home  during  the 
remainder  of  his  connection  with  the  South  Congre- 
gational society.  This  residence  was  on  Hawthorn 
Street,  part  of  the  old  farm  laid  out  two  hundred  years 
before  by  Florence  Maccarty,  a  forefather  of  Mrs. 
Huntington. 

To  HIS  Mother. 

The  house  itself  is  spacious  and  commodious,  has 
a  pleasant  garden  connected  with  it,  and  a  grove  hard 
by  in  the  rear  belonging  to  a  gentleman's  private 
grounds.   It  is  sheltered  from  the  winds,  and  overlooks 


FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON,  ^T.  27 

Fro)n  a  Cniyon  Portrait  in  lh4{i  hij  Setli  Chevey 


THE    FIRST    CALL  87 

an  agreeable  stretch  of  country.  On  the  top  is  an 
outlook,  or  cupola,  giving  a  view  of  the  harbor  and  a 
part  of  the  city. 

There  is  space  enough,  the  air  comes  in  fresh  and 
pure  from  the  hills,  and  the  garden  will  give  me  the 
exercise  on  the  soil  which  I  need,  besides  affording 
me  an  opportunity  to  apply  whatever  I  know  about 
the  arrangement  of  trees  and  shrubbery.  As  to  dis- 
tance, the  place  is  two  miles  from  my  church,  not  far 
after  all.  Omnibuses  run  every  fifteen  minutes,  and 
the  walk  of  forty  minutes  beneficial.  If  I  calculate 
rightly  we  shall  see  rather  more  of  our  parish  than 
less,  living  in  the  same  place  summer  and  winter, 
making  a  weekly  business  of  visiting  them,  having 
frequent  meetings  in  the  vestry,  and  a  pretty  spat  to 
invite  them  to,  with  only  a  short  walk  or  ride. 

Highlands,  March  26,  '46. 

My  dear  Parents  :  —  If  I  remember  rightly,  my 
last  message  homeward  was  a  rather  hasty  one  by 
some  necessity.  The  last  few  weeks  have  been  particu- 
larly occupied  and  I  am  a  little  more  at  leisure  now. 
The  Sunday-school  Book  took  a  good  deal  of  time. 
That  has  gone  to  press  now  and  I  sincerely  hope  it 
may  be  useful.  To  do  something  for  the  moral  eleva- 
tion of  the  young  in  this  exposed,  tempted  and  worldly 
age,  would  be  indeed  an  achievement  to  be  earnestly 
desired,  and  if  attained,  to  be  greatly  thankful  for. 

I  have  just  completed  an  Introduction  to  an  Ameri- 
can edition  of   "Martyria."^    The  book  will   be  out 

^  William  Mountford,  author  of  Marfyria,  an  Englishman  and  a 
Unitarian  Clergyman,  has  been  most  widely  kno^vTi  through  his 
book  Euthanasy  published  in  America  in  1849.  Mr.  Huntington 
wrote  the  editorial  note  of  introduction.  Several  years  before  he  had 


88  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

soon  and  I  hope  you  will  like  it  as  much  as  I  do.  It 
is  full  of  noble  and  pure  sentiments. 

If  you  hear  that  I  have  turned  "Parkerite,"  for 
rumors  take  strange  freaks  nowadays,  —  ascribe  it  to 
so  imposing  a  foundation  as  the  fact  that  Parker  has 
several  times  picked  me  up  as  a  pedestrian  on  the 
road,  and  taken  me  into  town  in  his  buggy,  —  a 
courtesy  which  I  have  acknowledged  by  calling  on 
him  at  his  house.  We  had  a  long  talk  on  theological 
matters,  and  I  am,  if  possible,  more  strongly  convinced 
than  ever,  that  his  views  are  neither  Scriptural  or 
logical.  But  I  do  feel  the  utmost  friendliness  towards 
him  as  a  man,  and  endeavor  to  cherish  a  generous 
charity  towards  his  honest  errors  of  opinion,  and  I 
should  not  dare  to  call  myself  a  Christian  if  I  did  not. 

The  book  mentioned  was  the  first  he  ever  prepared 
for  publication,  a  Text  Book  on  the  Book  of  Acts. 
From  his  college  days  to  the  end  of  his  life,  Mr.  Hunt- 
ington was  engaged  almost  continually  in  newspaper 
and  periodical  work,  and  it  was  a  means  of  influence 
for  which  he  was  especially  fitted.  Gifted  with  fine 
literary  discrimination  and  command  of  language; 
naturally  ardent  for  a  cause,  without  any  leaning 
towards  partisanship;  always  conversant  with  the 
currents  of  thought  of  his  day  and  generation;  un- 
sparing in  rebuke  and  yet  by  disposition  not  a  dis- 
putant or  inchned  to  controversy;  he  appreciated  the 
dignity  and  the  responsibility  of   the  editorial  chair 

obtained  passage  for  Mr.  Mountford  to  this  country  and  entertained 
him  many  months  at  his  ovm  home.  Mr.  Mountford  married  in 
Boston,  and  became  minister  of  a  church  in  Gloucester,  Massa- 
chusetts. 


THE    FIRST    CALL  89 

without  overstepping  its  privileges.  His  earliest  connec- 
tion of  this  nature,  after  entering  the  ministry,  was  with 
the  "  Monthly  Religious  Magazine.'*  In  November, 
1844,  he  writes  his  mother:  "It  is  next  year  probably 
to  be  my  '  Monthly.'  Mr.  Gannett  is  busy  with  the 
'  Examiner '  and  sees  that  I  can  conduct  it  just  as  well 
alone.  It  will  be  no  more  trouble  to  me,  or  but  httle; 
the  work  will  be  pleasanter  for  being  all  to  myself  and 
the  pay  much  more  considerable.  I  am  securing  an 
excellent  hst  of  contributors,  so  that  there  will  be 
little  left  for  me  to  do  in  the  way  of  writing  for  it." 

In  a  very  urgent  appeal  he  asks  his  mother  to  be 
one  of  the  writers,  giving  the  result  of  her  "  agreeable, 
profitable  and  holy  contemplations."  Her  reply  in  the 
negative  is  characteristic. 

"Whether  with  greater  opportunities  for  mental 
cultivation  in  youth,  I  might  have  been  able  to  write 
a  decent  paragraph,  or  whether  there  is  a  natural 
deficiency,  a  want  of  intellectual  capability,  are  ques- 
tions which  it  would  be  difficult  for  me  to  answer.  I 
must  content  myself  with  the  hope,  that  if  I  here, 
according  to  my  poor  abihty,  desire  and  endeavor  to  do 
good  in  a  very  small  way,  if  only  by  waiting  and  weep- 
ing between  the  porch  and  the  altar,  I  may  in  a  future 
life  be  furnished  with  powers  which  will  enable  me 
to  render  a  higher  service  to  Him  who  claims  our 
best  and  our  all."  Mr.  Huntington  was  an  editor  of 
the  ''Christian  Register"  from  1847  to  1851,  and 
of  the  "  Monthly  Religious  Magazine  "  from  1845  to 
1859. 

Incessant  literary  labor  in  his  study  did  not  interfere 
with  active  days  in  the  parish.  The  month  of  his 
ordination  he  wrote  home:    "Parish  calls  begin  to 


90  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

look  thick  and  frequent.  I  feel  such  a  need  as  I  never 
felt  before  of  strength  and  wisdom,  not  from  men  or 
books."  And  in  November,  1848:  "I  have  just  com- 
pleted a  circuit  of  some  three  hundred  calls,  accom- 
pHshed  this  fall,  which  has  kept  me,  with  other  duties, 
very  busy.  Hannah  is  nobly  engaged  in  the  same 
service  more  or  less  every  week."  "You  will  be  glad 
to  hear  that  a  very  comfortable  sleigh  has  just  been 
given  me,  by  the  same  gentleman  who  last  year  en- 
dowed us  with  a  pair  of  wolf-skins.  By  the  latter 
happy  device,  we  are  conveniently  exempted  from  the 
charge  of  going  abroad  as  wolves  in  sheep's  clothing." 

Long  drives  were  taken  not  only  on  clerical  ex- 
changes but  to  deliver  lyceum  lectures,  then  at  the 
height  of  popularity.  Many  a  time  the  lecturer,  re- 
turning from  some  distant  point  late  at  night,  would 
find  the  young  wife  sitting  up  for  him  in  the  stillness  of 
the  country  neighborhood,  with  the  big  Newfound- 
land dog  Neptune  keeping  faithful  guard.  One 
record  of  a  single  season  mentions  forty  places  in 
Massachusetts,  Maine,  and  New  Hampshire,  where 
engagements  were  kept. 

The  subjects  treated  were  Alfred  the  Great,  a  Com- 
plete Manhood;  Common  Sense  and  Intellectual 
Energy;  Intellectual  Sincerity;  Hebrew  Heroism; 
Epicureanism;  Independence  of  Character;  St.  Chry- 
sostom;  Work  and  Study. 

February  6,  '50. 
To  HIS  Sister. 

It  is  excessively  cold;  and  last  night  I  rode  off  a 
dozen  miles  to  lecture  and  back  again ;  so  that  to-day 
I  enjoy  the  fire,  a  good  wood-fire,  in  my  study.  I  gave 
a  lecture  that  I  had  delivered  only  twenty-two  times 


THE    FIRST    CALL  91 

before.      Should  not  you  think  it  would  be  tedious  ? 
A  new  audience  every  time  helps  the  interest  a  httle. 

It  was  by  hard  work  of  this  kind  that  the  Roxbury 
hom-e  was  paid  for  and  a  beginning  made  on  the  ulti- 
mate purchase  of  the  ancestral  estate,  at  Hadley, 
originally  the  property  of  his  mother,  held  after  her 
death  in  1847  by  his  father  as  a  life  tenure  and  then 
to  be  divided  among  the  brothers  and  sisters. 

Highlands,  June  14,  '46. 
To  HIS  Sister. 

My  dear  Bethia:  —  It  is  Sunday  morning  again  and 
a  beautiful  one.  You  can  imagine  what  a  refreshment 
it  is  to  me,  before  going  into  the  city  for  the  labors 
and  excitements  of  the  day,  to  have  a  few  morning 
hours  here  of  perfect  quiet,  in  the  midst  of  a  fragrant 
air,  and  a  stillness  broken  by  nothing  but  singing 
birds.  It  is  like  baptism  in  pure  water.  And  its  in- 
fluence ought  certainly  to  go  with  one,  like  a  sacred 
charm,  until  the  evening. 

Several  young  locusts  in  my  yard  are  now  out,  and 
they  make  the  atmosphere  sweet  in  two  senses,  —  by 
their  odors,  and  by  reminding  me  of  the  locusts  on  our 
place  at  home  which  used  to  flourish  by  the  street. 
Then  pinks  are  out  and  syringas  have  ventured  to 
show  a  few  white  petals,  tho'  it  is  their  first  year. 
Another  fragrant  plant  is  the  Missouri  currant.  A 
flowering  almond,  a  tree  rose,  two  altheas,  a  smoke 
tree,  a  tuUp  tree;  some  honeysuckles,  the  Enghsh 
scarlet  hawthorns,  and  nearly  all  my  ornamental  and 
fruit  trees  have  taken  root  and  are  beginning  to  grow. 
Hannah  and  her  husband  and  son  take  a  great  deal 


92  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

of  pleasure  which  they  hope  is  not  irrational  in  the 
daily  nurture  and  observation  of  these  wonderful 
things  of  the  Almighty. 

In  the  Spring  of  1846  came  the  great  anxiety  and 
sorrow  of  Elizabeth  Huntington's  illness.  She  was  in 
failing  health  through  the  following  twelve  months. 

Highlands,  April  12,  '46. 

My  dear  Mother  :  —  I  must  take  these  few  mo- 
ments on  Sunday  morning  before  Meeting  to  offer  you 
my  affectionate  salutations  and  tell  you  how  anxiously 
I  sympathize  with  your  infirmities.  How  my  letter 
may  find  you  is  uncertain;  but  my  earnest  desire  is 
that  your  pain  may  have  been  reheved,  your  weakness 
strengthened,  your  disease  stayed  in  its  course.  It  is 
my  continual  prayer  that  though  your  body  may  grow 
feeble,  your  spirit  may  wax  stronger  and  stronger  in 
faith  and  courage  and  hope ;  that  outward  suffering 
may  be  made  up  by  inward  peace;  that  the  soul  may 
exult  and  rejoice  in  lofty  communion  with  God  and 
Christ  while  the  earthly  tabernacle  languishes. 

It  is  Easter  Sunday.  I  Hke  the  practice  of  observ- 
ing this  occasion,  as  it  celebrates  the  great  event  in 
the  fife  of  the  Saviour  and  the  foundation  of  our  im- 
mortal hope,  turning  our  mortal  darkness  into  un- 
speakable glory.  My  sermon  is  on  the  proofs  of  Christ's 
Resurrection,  "The  Lord  is  risen  indeed." 

If  I  go  to  Hartford  to  the  dedication  and  installation 
I  shall  look  in  upon  your  sick  room  a  few  hours  within 
ten  days.  Peace  be  with  you  from  God  the  Father, 
through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.   Devotedly  your  son, 

Frederic. 


THE    FIRST    CALL  93 

Mrs.  Huntington  passed  from  earth  on  April  6,  1847, 
the  day  of  the  Annual  Public  Fast,  an  anniversary  of  her 
solemn  written  dedication  of  herself  in  girlhood  and 
her  admission  to  communion  with  the  church. 

Her  strongest  desire  to  be  released  from  the  agony 
of  her  disorder  was  uttered  after  a  weary  night,  in  the 
words  of  the  patriarch,  "  Let  me  go  for  the  day  break- 
eth."  Reminded  of  the  loved  ones  who  had  gone  be- 
fore, she  replied,  "Oh,  yes,  I  shall  look  them  all  up." 

April  19,  Mr.  Huntington  writes  to  his  sister:  "  The 
remembrance  of  everj^thing  relating  to  herself  is  cheer- 
ful, consoling  and  inspiring.  What  a  rare  character 
was  hers !  Of  all  that  I  have  become  conversant  with 
thus  far  in  my  life,  I  have  found  none  purer,  truer, 
more  blameless.  Ought  we  not  all  to  rejoice  in  the  light 
of  her  goodness,  and  live  in  the  strength  of  her  faith  ?  " 

A  great  quickening  of  the  soul,  in  a  certain  sense  a 
conversion,  took  place  in  her  youngest  child  after  his 
mother's  death. 

Not  long  subsequent,  the  journal,  kept  by  her 
from  youth  to  old  age,  came  into  his  possession.  Read- 
ing it  with  all  the  tender  memories  awakened,  recalling 
how  his  mother  had  openly  walked  with  God  through- 
out those  years,  in  consistency  of  life  and  devotion  to 
works  of  religion  and  charity ;  her  private  meditations ; 
deep  sorrow  for  daily  faults,  and  prayers  for  pardon; 
her  intense  longings  for  Divine  grace  awakened  in 
him  questionings  as  to  what  was  the  hidden  source  of  a 
religious  consecration  like  hers.  He  searched  his  own 
heart  and  exclaimed  to  an  intimate  friend,  "My  mo- 
ther had  found  something  which  I  have  never  known." 
It  was  the  sense  of  sin.  Deep  down  in  the  theology  of 
her  Puritan   forefathers,  under  a  system  which  con- 


94  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

tained  distortions  and  intolerance  from  which  her  soul 
recoiled,  Elizabeth  had  yet  gained  a  reahzation  of  the 
Divine  presence,  a  sense  of  the  majesty  of  God,  which 
filled  a  nature  full  of  sensibility  hke  hers  with  con- 
trition and  repentance,  sent  her  on  her  knees  before 
the  Saviour  she  loved,  and  wrought  in  her  a  passionate 
entreaty  for  higher  spiritual  gifts.  At  this  turning- 
point  in  his  experience  her  son  reahzed  that  there  were 
foundations  on  which  he  had  not  a  foothold,  and  lofty 
heights  of  faith  he  had  not  attained.  He  reached  out  for 
a  definite  creed,  a  positive  belief.  Stirring  within  him 
was  an  unrest  to  which  he  was  not  prepared  to  give 
conscious  expression.  He  was  hardly  yet  aware 
of  the  need  of  an  established  order,  a  visible  church. 
But  the  immediate  result  showed  itself  in  an  address 
before  a  convention  of  Unitarian  ministers  at  Ports- 
mouth, New  Hampshire,  October  8,  1851.  The  text 
was  taken  from  Phil,  iii,  3 :  "  For  we  are  the  circum- 
cision, which  worship  God  in  the  spirit,  and  rejoice  in 
Christ  Jesus,  and  have  no  confidence  in  the  flesh." 
The  title  is  "Spiritual  Heirship."^ 

The  day  before  this  was  delivered  Rev.  Mr.  Hunt- 
ington had  written  to  his  father :  "  I  have  prepared  a 
sermon  for  this  occasion  with  some  care  and  many 
prayers  for  light.  If  it  is  true, it  ought  to  be  preached; 
if  it  is  not,  I  have  the  satisfaction  of  knowing  that  it 
will  not  be  believed  because  I  have  preached  it."  Few 
who  made  up  the  hearers  of  the  discourse,  more  than  a 
half  century  ago,  are  left  to  recall  it.  One,  however. 
Rev.  J.  I.  T.  Coolidge,  states  that  the  ministerial 
brethren  there  assembled  recognized  clearly  that  it 
betokened  a  change  working  in  the  mind  of  the  writer. 
^  Sermons  for  the  People. 


THE    FIRST    CALL  95 

Already  he  had  begun  to  feel  himself  less  in  sympathy 
with  the  denomination  which  had  been  his  home. 
This  appears  in  a  letter  to  his  father  dated  May,  185  L 

Tfie  Highl^vnds. 
You  can  hardly  realize  how  beautiful  our  own 
place  here  has  become.  I  know  of  no  spot  except 
Hadley  that  I  prefer  to  it.  Every  moment's  breath  is  a 
deHcious  luxury.  The  anniversaries  are  going  on; 
but  I  Hke  the  trees,  the  stillness,  and  the  flowers  so 
much  more  than  white  cravats  and  black  coats  and 
crowded  meetings,  that  I  give  Boston  as  wide  a  berth 
as  possible,  and  have  declined  all  invitations  to  speak. 

Still  more  significant  of  changing  views  was  a  visit 
paid  to  the  Rev.  S.  L.  S.  Button,  an  Orthodox  Con- 
gregational minister,  and  pastor  of  the  old  North 
Church  in  New  Haven,  Connecticut,  for  whom  he 
preached  in  March,  1852.  In  the  following  May  Mr. 
Dutton  preached  for  him,  with  full  approval  of  his 
congregation.  This,  however,  was  then  regarded  as 
an  act  of  catholicity  rather  than  as  betokening  any 
theological  sympathy  between  the  two  clergymen 
and  their  flocks. 

He  himself  describes  to  his  father  his  visit  to  Mr. 
Dutton:  "He  moved  up  into  the  pulpit  with  me,  and 
looked  around  at  the  audience,  as  if  he  thought  he 
had  done  a  clever  thing,  for  which  the  church  universal 
ought  to  thank  him.  Nothing  went  awry.  The  trini- 
tarian  doxology,  which  it  is  the  practice  of  his  choir 
to  sing  at  the  close  of  the  service,  was  omitted,  perhaps 
by  the  delicacy  of  the  chorister,  or  of  Mr.  D.  himself. 

"  Monday  morning  I  left  and  returned  home.    Alto- 


96  FREDERIC    DAN   HUNTINGTON 

gether  my  visit  was  a  delightful  one.  Whether  any  bene- 
fit is  to  come  of  it,  on  a  wider  scale  than  my  personal 
gratification,  I  cannot  tell.    Results  are  with  God." 

On  June  26,  1853,  Rev.  Mr.  Huntington  preached 
for  the  Rev.  Samuel  J.  May,  in  Syracuse,  so  long  to 
be  the  seat  of  his  episcopal  labors  in  future  years. 
He  was  at  this  time  on  his  way  to  Meadville  to  deliver 
a  sermon  before  the  graduating  class  of  the  Theologi- 
cal School.  The  subject  of  the  discourse,  afterward 
published  in  his  first  volume,  was  *'The  Word  of  Life; 
a  Living  Ministry  and  a  Living  Church."  "  God  was 
in  Christ,  reconciling  the  world  unto  himself." 

In  the  Roxbury  home  a  second  child,  a  daughter, 
was  bom  in  June,  1848,  and  in  October,  1852,  an 
infant  son  t^ame  into  the  world  to  live  scarcely  two 
weeks. 

Highlands,  October  28,  '52. 
To  Miss  Bethia  Huntington. 

Dear  Sister:  —  It  is  well  our  little  Charlie  stayed 
w^ith  us  just  long  enough  to  become  one  of  us,  —  to  be 
numbered  in  our  household,  —  to  take  a  distinct  in- 
dividual place,  —  to  become  a  possession  to  memory 
and  affection  forever.  He  is  our  third  child,  —  only 
not  visible  to  these  eyes  of  flesh,  but  making  Heaven 
far  more  a  reality  than  it  ever  was  before. 

Death  in  our  house!  How  much  more  terrible  that 
thought  would  have  been* two  weeks  ago,  than  it  is 
now!  So  gracious  is  God.  The  house  has  more  the 
feeling  as  if  God  had  set  his  seal  upon  it  than  it  had 
before.  We  seem,  somehow,  spiritually  safer  in  it.  A 
more  complete  experience  of  life  has  been  had  within 
it.    I  think  I  was  never  conscious  of  God's  hand  being 


THE    FIRST    CALL  97 

laid  so  directly  on  my  heart,  as  during  this  anxiety  and 
mourning.  There  is  something  encouraging  in  it.  "  For 
our  profit "  it  is  and  certainly  it  would  be  shameful  for 
us  to  be  so  corrected  without  profit.  Pray  for  us  that 
it  may  not  be  so.  If  one  may  speak  so,  it  appears  as 
if  God  is  more  in  earnest  with  us,  showing  us  by  this 
sharper  discipline  that  he  really  means  to  make  some- 
thing of  these  poor,  halting,  sinning  natures,  —  if  we 
will  only  let  him,  after  all.  Throughout  the  sickness, 
and  since,  we  were  assured  that  God  was  directing  us 
exactly  as  he  would,  moment  by  moment;  and  so  we 
could  pray  for  the  child's  life,  and  yet  be  certain  that  if 
he  died,  it  would  be  because  that  would  be  better  for 
us  all. 

The  children,  —  how  much  I  dreaded  to  tell  them! 
One  morning,  the  fresh  and  boundless  joy  of  waking  to 
learn  they  had  a  little  brother;  and  then  a  hundred 
bright  plans  formed :  and  another  morning,  twelve  days 
after,  they  awake  to  hear  the  little  brother  is  gone. 
After  leaving  the  little  body  at  midnight  with  the  cold 
air  blowing  in  from  the  open  window  upon  it,  —  I  was 
able  to  feel  —  how  safe,  how  sheltered,  his  spirit  is ! 
But  I  waited  painfully  the  waking  of  the  living  ones. 
With  much  effort  I  succeeded  in  teUing  them  cheer- 
fully. They  were  sad  only  a  few  minutes.  Again  God 
was  more  merciful  than  my  fears.  Their  regrets  are 
frequent  but  not  gloomy.  After  we  had  talked  with 
them  of  the  spirit  and  the  body,  —  of  the  beautiful 
place  at  Mt.  Hope,  —  already  a  spot  of  happy  associa- 
tions, —  where  we  should  put  the  body,  —  and  of  the 
more  beautiful  place  where  the  soul  is,  —  they  went 
eagerly  and  pleasantly  in  to  look  at  the  motionless  face, 
and  it  was  plain  enough  how  artificial,  how  entirely  the 


98  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

effect  of  education,  is  all  the  dread  and  the  recoil 
from  the  presence  of  death,  —  for  there  was  nothing  of 
it  in  them. 

You  will  imagine  what  a  day  Sunday  was  with  us; 
solemn  to  all  the  land,  but  trebly  so  to  us,  for  it  was  the 
tenth  anniversary  of  my  settlement. 

The  public  event  to  which  the  writer  refers  was  the 
death  of  Daniel  Webster. 

RoxBURT,  Nov.  23,  '52. 

My  substitute  for  a  personal  attendance  at  your 
Thanksgiving  table;  and  to  be  read  after  your 
breakfast. 

My  dear  Sister  Betiiia  :  —  You  are  by  this  time 
quite  convalescent,  I  hope.  May  the  good  comfort 
and  grace  of  God  be  with  you.  It  is  not  for  me  to 
exhort  you  to  patience,  who  have  myself  so  much  need 
to  learn  it  from  you.  If  it  is  not  famihar  to  your  mem- 
ory, get  Father  to  read  you  Milton's  magnificent 
passage  *'  Hail  Holy  Light."  You  will  feel  it  now, 
perhaps  with  a  new  sense,  and  at  any  rate  the  prayer  — 
"So  much  the  rather  thou,  celestial  Light,  shine  in- 
ward," will  be  breathed  by  you  and  answered. 

This  last  expression  reminds  me  of  a  train  of  thought 
which  has  lately  interested  me,  and  which  I  have  put 
into  a  sermon,  on  the  text  "Ask  and  it  shall  be  given 
you."  The  sermon  was  designed  to  meet  some  of  the 
difficulties  that  arise  in  the  mind  respecting  answers 
to  prayer;  and  especially  to  resist  the  notion  which 
has  come  somewhat  into  vogue  in  our  day,  that  the 
only  office  of  praying  is  to  stimulate  ourselves,  bring  on 
a  better  mood,  and  so  benefit  us  according  to  natural 


THE    FIRST    CALL  99 

laws.  On  the  contrary,  the  whole  teaching  of  Scrip- 
tures seems  to  me  to  show  us  that  there  are  verily  and 
literally  two  parties  engaged  in  this  high  communion, 
God  and  the  praying  soul;  one  actually  asking,  and 
the  other  actually  giving;  as  much  so,  as  if  a  hand 
were  visibly  stretched  out  from  the  skies,  placing  gifts 
in  ours.  How  these  answers  are  made  to  consist  with 
natural  laws,  so  called,  or  the  fixed  order  of  things, 
must  of  course  be  a  mystery  to  us ;  because  we  did  not 
make  nature,  and  are  finite.  But  faith  readily  accepts 
such  mysteries,  in  many  other  cases  as  difficult  as  this, 
and  experience  confirms  the  Bible  doctrine.  My  own 
experience  certainly  does;  and  I  doubt  not,  yours 
does.  To  me  there  has  been  of  late  a  growing  satis- 
faction in  this  spiritual  exercise.  I  have  known  re- 
markable answers  to  particular  and  personal  inter- 
cessions, in  my  intercourse  with  my  people.  Religious 
changes  and  Christian  peace  seem  to  have  been 
granted,  wonderfully,  to  such  petitions.  And  then  did 
any  of  us  ever  have  a  real  trouble  that  prayer  did  not 
strikingly  and  supernaturally  lighten  ?  I  can  see  now 
—  what  I  could  not  once  —  how  it  is  rational  and 
right  to  pray  for  earthly  good  in  particular  respects, 
so  far  as  that  is  connected  with  our  spiritual  progress 
and  safety;  although  of  course,  no  prayer  is  the  prayer 
of  faith  which  is  not  offered  with  the  wiUingness  that 
God  should  withhold  the  thing  asked  for,  and  answer 
in  some  other  way.  In  the  growth  of  these  sentiments, 
I  have  often  been  led  back  to  our  blessed  mother's 
instructions.  Who  knows  but  that  growth  itself  is  one 
of  the  answers  to  her  own  prevailing  supplications  ? 
Prayers  of  the  righteous  hers  were,  indeed.  It  often 
occurs  to  me  that  whatever  progress  the  Spirit  has 


100  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

permitted  me  to  make  in  a  religious  experience  — 
poor  and  slow  enough  I  know  it  is, —  has  only  brought 
me  nearer  to  the  very  point  where  her  own  convic- 
tions rested.  The  counsels  that  I  hardly  understood, 
or  did  not  receive  them,  are  welcomed  now  with  my 
whole  soul. 

Would  to  God  I  could  tell  her  so.  She  might  then 
keep  a  new  Thanksgiving,  in  her  world  of  bliss,  —  her 
life  of  joy  and  glory.  But  how,  again,  do  we  know  but 
every  thought  and  motion  in  us,  her  own  family  still, 
is  seen  of  her  ?  "  Every  one  that  hath  this  hope,  puri- 
fieth  himself." 

How  much  my  thoughts  will  be  with  you  and  father 
and  all  the  dear  kindred,  on  Thursday!  You  do  not 
know  how  I  long  to  spend  one  more  Thanksgiving  at 
Hadley.  Something  in  that  day  always  makes  me  feel 
as  if  I  ought  not  to  be  anywhere  else.  Yery  quiet,  you 
will  be.  But  dear  affections,  holy  hopes,  sweet  memo- 
ries, a  glorious  faith,  the  Infinite  Father  and  his  Christ, 
will  all  be  with  you.  Are  not  these  honored  guests? 
You  will  not  be  alone. 

Highlands,  July  23,  1854. 
Dear  Father  and  Sister  :  —  When  I  returned 
from  church  this  morning  I  found  myself  the  father 
of  a  fourth  child,  a  third  son.  I  know  of  none  on  earth, 
whom  we  can  more  confidently  invite  to  share  in  our 
gratitude  to  the  Giver  of  Life  and  breath  and  all 
things,  and  in  all  our  sober  rejoicings,  than  you  and 
the  dear  ones  about  you.  Of  course  when  we  remem- 
ber how  soon  our  little  Charlie  was  caught  away  from 
our  arms,  after  he  was  placed  in  them,  our  joy  must 
be  chastened  and  our  hopes  moderated.    But  I  trust 


THE    FIRST    CALL  101 

we  are  not  the  less  truly  happy  for  that.  We  ought  only 
to  feel  the  Father  to  be  nearer,  and  Heaven  more 
actual.  To  the  glory  of  the  one,  and  a  wise  prepara- 
tion for  the  other  may  this  child  live,  so  long  as  he  is 
permitted  to  stay  in  this  world. 

The  third  son  was  baptized  James  Otis  Sargent  for 
his  mother's  brother. 

March  23,  '53. 

To  Miss  Bethia  Huntington. 

I  am  very  busy,  in  connection  with  Dr.  Hedge  of 
Providence,  compihng  a  new  hymn-book,  which  we 
mean  of  course  to  make  rather  better  than  any  that 
have  gone  before  it.  It  will  certainly  contain  many 
hymns  you  have  never  seen,  from  the  Catholic  and 
Wesleyan  collections,  from  the  German,  and  other 
sources.  Piety  finds  its  natural  expression  in  singing  ; 
and  the  religion  of  any  sect  may  be  judged  of,  I  think, 
by  the  sacred  music  through  which  it  worships  God. 

The  book  referred  to  was  published  with  the  title 
of  "Hymns  for  the  Church  of  Christ,"  and  contains 
much  beautiful  sacred  verse.  It  was  only  a  beginning 
of  that  strong  interest  which  lasted  through  Hfe,  in 
hymnology,  church  music,  and  rehgious  poetry. 
Mr.  Huntington's  nature  was  one  which  found  peculiar 
sympathy  with  what  he  called  "the  song  element  in 
personal  character."  Writing  long  after,  he  says: 
"For  common-place  business  and  routine  tasks  the 
mind  is  contentedly  prosaic;  but  when  religious  emo- 
tion rises  to  a  higher  pitch  it  is  undulated  into  mea- 
sures of  liberty  and  gladness. 

"Oiler   than   sermons,   older   than    lessons,   older 


102  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

even  than  her  written  creed,  is  the  psalmody  of  three 
thousand  years,  the  song-power  of  the  Church.  From 
the  first  shout  of  the  sons  of  God  on  the  mornins:  of 
creation  until  the  predicted  strains  of  the  new  heavens 
and  the  new  earth,  this  is  a  characteristic  of  our  re- 
ligion. Songs  go  up  from  emancipated  Israel  on  the 
shore  of  the  sea,  from  Miriam  and  from  Deborah, 
from  priests  and  levites  in  their  ritual  order,  from 
prophets  in  wildernesses,  from  the  king  hunted  in  the 
cave  or  reigning  in  pomp,  or  penitent  in  sackcloth,  or 
sorrowing  in  exile;  from  missionary  groups  all  round 
the  Mediterranean,  from  apostles  in  prison,  from 
before  the  altars  of  all  continents  and  islands  where 
the  cross  has  stood;  everywhere  the  people  sing. 
Ships  of  Tarshish  sing;  trees  of  the  wood  sing;  in- 
habitants of  the  rock  sing ;  the  tongue  of  the  dumb  — 
symbol  of  regenerated  and  liberated  powers  once  bound 
in  sin  —  sings;  the  mountains,  pillars  of  strength, 
break  forth  into  singing;  the  widow's  soHtary  heart, 
the  token  of  a  comforted  humanity,  sings  for  joy." 

Several  years  after  the  in\dtation  from  the  Church 
of  the  Messiah,  New  York  city,  a  second  offer  was  made 
and  declined,  and  as  a  token  of  affection  at  that  time 
Mr.  Huntington  and  his  wife  received  from  some  of 
his  parishioners  a  gift  of  a  fine  Chickering  piano, 
an  addition  to  their  household  which  they  both  greatly 
appreciated.  He  writes  to  the  generous  donors:  "I 
have  always  felt  that  there  should  be  the  gentle  in- 
fluence of  music  in  every  home.  There  are  times  when 
I  crave  nothing  so  strongly  and  when  nothing  does 
so  much  to  remove  weariness  and  soothe  anxiety,  to 
cheer  the  whole  soul  and  quicken  its  better  affections 
and  lift  it  upward." 


THE    FIRST    CALL  103 

There  was  another  mark  of  affectionate  regard 
from  the  South  Congregational  parish,  presented  to 
Mrs.  Huntington.  This  was  a  portrait  of  their  pastor, 
made  by  the  celebrated  crayon  artist,  Seth  Cheney. 
His  drawings  are  inspired  by  sentiment  and  spirituality, 
and  it  was  universally  conceded  that  the  Hkeness  of 
Mr.  Huntington  was  one  of  his  best  achievements. 

Such  frequent  and  thoughtful  expressions  of  friend- 
ship from  his  flock  so  deeply  strengthened  the  tie  be- 
tween them  and  their  minister  that  the  final  separation 
in  1855  was  a  painful  one.  Rev.  Edward  E.  Hale  told 
the  story  years  afterwards,  speaking  of  Harvard  Uni- 
versity. "  The  college  had  received  a  new  endowment. 
Miss  Plummer  of  Salem  had  endowed  a  professorship, 
of  which  the  incumbent  was  to  be  the  minister  and 
friend  of  the  students.  It  was  the  professorship  of  the 
heart,  not  the  head,  she  said.  Those  were  in  the  days 
when  Arnold's  Ufe  made  us  feel  how  large  a  place 
religion  takes  in  the  conduct  of  such  schools.  The 
Corporation  thought,  and  I  think  all  men  agreed  with 
them,  that  this  spiritual  oversight  of  hundreds  of  the 
picked  young  men  of  New  England  —  at  the  critical 
period  of  their  life  —  was  the  first  honor  to  which  a 
clergyman  was  called,  and  probably  the  first  duty. 
This  post  was  first  offered  to  Rev.  George  Putnam. 
When  he  dechned,  the  choice  fell  upon  Rev.  Mr. 
Huntington." 

Writing  to  his  sister,  Dec.  1,  1854,  Mr.  Hunting- 
ton says :  "  Tell  father  I  drive  the  Cambridge  question 
out  of  my  mind  all  I  can,  —  dreading  to  meet  fairly  so 
responsible,  so  painful,  and  so  difficult  a  decision.  But 
I  shall  be  obliged  to  face  it  soon.  I  cannot  see  that 
such  a  situation  as  mine  ought  to  be  left.    I  prize  its 


104  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

independence,  its  variety  of  aspects  and  its  wide  reach 
of  s}Tnpathies  and  opportunities." 

An  informal  notice  had  been  received  a  few  weeks 
previous,  to  the  effect  that  the  president  and  fellows 
of  Harvard  University  were  prepared  to  appoint  him 
to  the  office  of  preacher  in  the  College  Chapel  and 
Professor  of  Christian  Morals.  In  April,  1855,  the 
board  of  overseers  took  concurrent  action  on  this 
appointment,  not  without  some  protest;  one  member 
of  that  body  citing  the  fact  that  Professor  Newman 
had  gone  over  to  the  Church  of  Rome  after  a  like 
experiment  at  Oxford,  proving  it  "  worse  than  a  failure." 
The  New  York  "  Tribune"  pubHshed  a  leading  article 
entitled  "  A  Jesuit  Professorship,"  and  notes  of  warn- 
ing were  not  wanting  from  other  sources.  But  while 
it  was  charged  that  Harvard  College  had  committed 
itself  to  the  insidious  inculcation  of  Unitarian  doc- 
trines through  personal  influence  over  the  students, 
the  defendants  claimed  that  the  new  professor  w^as 
knowTi  to  have  strong  evangelical  tendencies,  that 
no  technically  orthodox  man  could  be  nominated  and 
confirmed  under  existing  conditions,  and  that  "there 
was  great  and  urgent  need  of  the  introduction  of  some 
new  restraining  and  elevating  force  into  the  university, 
to  save  its  students  from  irreligion,  atheism,  and  im- 
morality." It  was  this  line  of  argument  which  ulti- 
mately decided  Mr.  Huntington  to  accept  the  position. 
He  was  called  to  preach  to  a  congregation  of  unusual 
intelligence,  the  members  of  the  faculty  and  their 
families,  with  the  students  of  the  university;  "to 
give  instruction  on  moral  and  refigious  topics  through 
lectures  or  text-books;  and  by  personal  intercourse, 
by  friendly  services,  by  counsels  and  sympathies,  by 


THE    FIRST    CALL  105 

special  conference  and  correspondence  with  parents, 
to  act  on  the  hearts  and  lives  of  the  young  men,  en- 
deavoring to  draw  them  to  a  Christian  righteousness, 
to  protect  them  against  the  temptations  pecuhar  to 
their  situation  and  to  maintain  among  them  a  sincere 
and  vital  religion.*' 

His  parishioners  and  friends  sent  him  a  communi- 
cation of  twenty  pages,  containing  remonstrance  and 
argument  against  his  acceptance  of  the  "appointment 
which  has  caused  us  such  griefs."  The  reply  to  this 
memorial  was  lengthy,  and  went  carefully  over  each 
point  of  the  objections.  In  commencement  Mr.  Hunt- 
ington says :  "  For  more  than  twelve  years  of  my  ma- 
ture life  it  has  been  the  one  supreme  earthly  purpose 
of  my  soul,  to  understand,  to  measure,  to  trace  in  all 
their  bearings  the  interests  of  this  flock,  —  to  know  its 
interior  condition  and  its  outward  relations,  its  wants 
and  exposures,  the  state  of  its  famihes  and  individual 
members,  —  so  that  I  might  effectually  instruct,  and 
by  any  means  aid  and  edify  it.  That  any  object 
should  have  been  presented,  which  could  make  it 
seem  possible  for  me  to  turn  aside  from  this  great 
privilege  and  passion  of  my  soul  is,  of  itself,  no  small 
proof  that  it  has  remarkable  intrinsic  demands  on 
my  attention."  After  a  detailed  and  an  affectionate 
review  of  the  situation  of  the  South  Congregational 
parish  and  its  future  prospects,  he  proceeded  to  lay 
before  them  some  of  the  principal  considerations 
which  led  him  to  a  conclusion  favorable  to  the  call  to 
Harvard. 

"The  students  come  in  year  after  year,  fresh  from 
the  atmosphere  of  home,  with  tender  and  susceptible 
natures,  and  forthwith  they  are  put  upon  all  the  lower- 


106  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

ing  and  corrupting  temptations  of  a  strange  scene  and 
a  great  city,  with  none  of  the  safeguards  of  domestic 
affection,  and  no  Christian  friend,  whose  office  it  is  to 
stand  at  their  side,  to  remonstrate  against  the  sin  and 
to  encourage  them  in  the  way  of  right,  to  think  of  them, 
to  love  them,  to  attract  them  into  pure  companionship, 
to  care  for  their  souls.  And  what  makes  this  case 
peculiar  is  that  they  are  a  community  constantly 
shifting.  For  four  of  the  most  impressive  years  of  life 
they  remain  in  the  college  circle  and  then  they  scatter 
over  the  continent,  bearing  with  them  the  characters 
they  have  formed,  and  the  notions  they  have  adopted, 
to  be,  for  immense  good  or  for  opposing  and  incalcu- 
lable ^11,  the  educated,  the  professional,  and  often  the 
leading  minds  of  the  land.  More  and  more,  and  each 
one  including  something  like  a  hundred  souls,  this  tide 
of  thought  and  influence  pours  forth,  as  steadily  as 
the  streams  run  from  foundations  to  the  sea,  and  with 
impulses  as  constant  as  the  throbs  of  the  ocean  on  the 
beach.  What  the  nature  of  that  influence  shall  be,  so 
far  as  our  foremost  university  is  concerned,  is  the 
solemn  question  now  put  before  me. 

*'  Were  the  opportunities  for  external  action,  beyond 
the  bounds  of  the  college,  and  of  Cambridge,  which 
it  is  proposed  to  throw  open  to  me  by  the  appointment, 
clearly  expressed  to  you,  I  think  you  could  not  but 
perceive  that  they  will  put  into  my  power  means  of 
public  service,  not  less  but  greater  than  I  now  enjoy. 
I  have  utterly  misapprehended  what  is  held  out  to  me, 
if  it  should  prove  a  cloistered  retreat,  or  a  scholastic 
confinement.  I  am  not  going  there  to  shut  myself  in 
from  the  Hving  forces  of  society,  nor  from  the  assem- 
bhes  of  men.  It  is  my  conviction  that  the  bond  between 


THE    FIRST    CALL  107 

a  literary  institution  and  the  mass  of  the  surrounding 
people,  in  this  age,  ought  to  be  close  and  vital." 

Finally  Mr.  Huntington  enumerated  some  of  the  in- 
fluences which  were  brought  to  bear  upon  his  accept- 
ance. "I  have  asked  no  man  for  his  advice,  feeling 
that  issues  must,  after  all,  be  decided  within  my  own 
mind  and  conscience,  subject  only  to  the  leadings  of 
Heaven.  But  I  have  supposed  that  one  of  the  ways  in 
which  God  indicates  to  us  his  will,  is  by  the  deliberately 
formed  opinions  of  wise  and  good  and  unprejudiced 
men. 

"  That  it  is  a  practicable  work  and  that  I  am  a  proper 
person  to  enter  upon  it  has  commonly  been  expressed 
with  a  warmth  of  feeling  that  I  did  not  expect,  and 
with  a  decision  and  fervor  that  have  been  exceedingly 
impressive.  It  has  come  to  me  from  graduates  of  this 
and  other  institutions,  from  the  presidents  and  pro- 
fessors of  other  New  England  colleges,  from  mer- 
chants and  men  of  practical  affairs,  from  different 
sects  in  the  church,  and  different  parties  in  the  state, 
from  the  mothers  and  fathers  of  youth  that  may  be 
scholars,  and  it  has  come  almost  with  one  voice.  It 
has  pronounced  the  appointment  of  a  Christian  teacher 
at  Harvard  College  a  relief  to  many  apprehensions, 
and  an  occasion  for  public  congratulation." 

To  the  South  Congregational  Society  he  pays  this 
heartfelt  tribute:  "It  is  not  exceeded,  I  believe,  by 
any  in  the  land,  for  strength  in  all  parochial  resources, 
for  numbers,  for  harmony,  for  mutual  kindness  and 
consideration,  for  attention  to  the  pulpit,  for  promp- 
titude and  energy  in  every  good  undertaking  proposed 
to  its  members,  for  the  absence  of  all  querulous  or 
uncongenial   or   quarrelsome    elements,    for   uniform 


108  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

patience  and  kindness  and  generosity  towards  the 
minister,  and  indeed  for  every  attribute  and  quality 
which  make  up  parochial  character  desirable  in  the 
eyes  of  the  pastor. 

"  I  shall  need  your  cordial  sympathy  and  God-speed 
in  the  agonies  of  a  separation,  for  though  it  will  not  be 
on  my  part  a  separation  of  the  heart,  nor  the  breaking 
of  those  precious  and  indissoluble  bonds  which  have 
been  woven  by  the  prayers  and  intercourse  and  love 
of  twelve  happy  years,  in  the  deeper  experiences  and 
hoHest  purposes  of  life,  it  will  be  the  parting  of  the 
pastoral  relation  and  the  necessaiy  discontinuance  of 
all  our  former  offices  of  fellowship,  and  so  it  will  be  an 
act  of  unprecedented  pain.  I  shall  need  your  utmost 
consideration,  your  most  gentle  judgment,  your 
Christian  intercession." 

The  following  letter  was  written  nearly  a  quarter  of 
a  century  later  by  the  Bishop  of  Central  New  York,  in 
response  to  an  invitation  to  attend  an  anniversary, 
the  semi-centennial  of  the  South  Congregational 
Society.  It  is  addressed  to  the  Rev.  Edward  Everett 
Hale. 

Syracuse,  Jan.  23,  1878. 
My  dear  Brother:  —  Returning  from  a  long 
journey,  I  am  too  late  in  answering  your  very  kind 
note  of  the  10th.  The  dear  old  "  South  Congregational " .' 
Not  so  old  as  I  am,  and  not  much  older  than  you  are, 
and  likely  to  live  longer  than  either  of  us.  We  have 
both  done  what  we  could  in  our  several  ways  to  add 
to  its  life.  May  God  accept  w^hatever  in  our  service 
was  right  and  pardon  the  rest!  There  must  be  a  few 
in  the  parish  who  would  recognize  me  if  I  could  stand 


THE    FIRST    CALL  109 

up  before  them  at  the  semi-centennial,  and  they  would 
say:  "His  head  has  grown  white,  however  it  may  be 
with  his  theology."  I  wish  you  would  thank  them  for 
taking  the  advice  I  gave  them  when  I  went  away  in 
calling  you  to  follow  me.  That  was  the  last  of  a  long 
and  thick  succession  of  most  gracious  and  judicious 
compliances  with  my  wishes.  Their  building  went  to 
Rome,  and  their  minister  went  —  whither  he  thought 
God  called  him,  but  their  prosperity  seems  never  to 
have  forsaken  them.  How  many  honored  and  dear 
names  I  could  mention  of  those  who  were  with  me 
from  the  beginning!  And  how  much  could  be  said  of 
them!  Give  my  love  to  all  the  children  and  kindred 
of  all  those  who  have  fallen  asleep. 
Believe  me  sincerely  and  faithfully. 

Your  friend, 
F.  D.  Huntington. 


CHAPTER   IV 


A   NEW   PATH 


"  Then  said  Christian,  '  I  perceive  not  yet  but  that  this  is  ray  way  to 
be  desired  herein.'  And  Christian  set  on  his  way,  with  his  sword 
drawn  in  his  hand." 

On  a  September  afternoon  in  the  year  1855  Mr. 
Huntington  and  his  family  drove  from  the  Highlands 
through  the  winding  coimtry  roads  connecting  the 
villages  of  Roxbury  and  Brookline,  over  the  wooden 
bridge  which  crossed  the  Charles  River  and  so  on  to 
Cambridge.  A  college  bookstore,  the  post-office, 
and  a  few  shops  then  made  up  the  little  business 
centre  known  as  "Harvard  Square."  Beyond  the 
grassy  spaces  of  the  "Yard,"  mostly  open  enclosure, 
with  here  and  there  an  ancient  structure  among  the 
trees,  stood  the  old  Observatory,  marked  by  the  cu- 
pola on  the  roof  and  a  small  octagon  wing  at  the  side. 
The  building,  converted  into  an  ordinary  mansion, 
was  placed  on  a  slope  looking  towards  the  Library,  its 
little  lawn  screened  by  a  tall  hawthorn  hedge  from  the 
dusty  high-road,  along  which  the  hourly  omnibuses 
still  made  their  slow  progress  to  the  city.  On  one  side 
was  a  long  sunny  piazza,  the  front  door  opened  on 
Quincy  Street,  and  to  the  north  was  a  group  of  apple- 
trees  and  a  stable.  To  this  attractive  residence  the 
young  Plummer  professor  directed  his  children's  atten- 
tion as  he  came  down  the  steps  of  the  College  office, 
and  pointed  out  their  future  home- 


A    NEW    PATH  111 

Pleasant  was  the  outward  aspect  and  pleasant  the 
associations  into  which  the  family  was  entering.  Those 
were  days  marked  by  simplicity  of  life,  without  pre- 
tension and  without  display;  by  cheerful  and  intimate 
companionships;  the  pursuits  of  cultivated  minds; 
an  exchange  of  ideas  which  gave  variety  to  familiar 
intercourse.  It  has  been  maintained  that  at  no  time 
in  the  history  of  our  country  was  life  so  full,  so  free,  so 
untrammeled,  and  so  satisfying,  as  during  those  two 
decades  which  ended  with  the  Civil  War.  Before  that 
dark  cloud  settled  over  the  land,  with  the  subsequent 
change  in  fortunes  and  rapid  increase  of  a  wealthy 
class,  social  existence  in  a  small  community  like  that 
of  Cambridge  was  an  ideal  one.  The  educational 
advantages  of  Mr.  Agassiz's  school  attracted  young 
girls  whose  birth  and  breeding  were  such  that  they 
brought  with  them  from  their  homes  in  the  Southern 
and  Middle  States  the  same  fine  manners  which  they 
found  in  the  university  town.  Their  presence  added 
gayety  to  the  winter  festivities,  while  they  on  their 
part  were  cordially  received  into  a  company  of  young 
people  rarely  excelled  in  ease  and  refinement,  beauty 
and  wit.  It  was  a  time  when  customs  were  entirely 
American;  before  foreign  travel  had  introduced  the 
habits  of  Continental  life.  There  was  neither  the 
glamour  of  great  riches  nor  the  unrest  and  discontent 
caused  by  changing  standards  and  conditions.  If  the 
aspect  was  one  of  sobriety,  if  the  outlook  was  restricted 
and  daily  events  unexciting,  there  could  not  be  dullness 
in  a  circle  which  included  such  families  as  the  Agassiz, 
liOngfellows,  Danas,  Nortons,  Lowells,  Palfreys. 
While  the  whole  faculty  could  meet  in  one  room  in  the 
little  gothic   cottage   occupied   by  the   president,  the 


112  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

members  of  the  college  set  were  not  too  numerous 
to  live  together  on  terms  of  intimacy  which  precluded 
any  stiffness  or  formality.  The  entertainments  were 
many  of  them  impromptu;  for  the  elders  a  little  sup- 
per or  an  evening  visit;  for  the  younger  carpet-dances 
or  charades.  The  whole  neighborhood  gathered  for 
a  piano  recital  by  Otto  Dresel,  a  concert  from  the 
Mendelssohn  Quintette  Club,  or  readings  from  Fanny 
Kemble.  Scenes  from  Shakespeare  were  enacted, 
clever  plays  improvised,  or  an  operetta,  with  the  score 
furnished  by  the  musical  department  and  the  libretto 
suppHed  by  the  Enghsh  and  Itahan  professors.  It  was  a 
time  when  every  one  read  Dickens;  his  characters 
were  as  famihar  as  the  local  oddities  in  the  streets, 
and  when  Mrs.  Charles  Lowell  threw  open  her  hos- 
pitable home  for  a  costume  party,  it  was  the  scene  of 
many  clever  impersonations.  President  and  Mrs. 
Sparks  entertained  distinguished  guests,  and  gathered 
groups  of  friends  weekly  to  partake  of  a  hospitality  as 
dignified  as  it  often  was  unconventional.  What  was 
worn,  what  was  eaten,  what  china  was  set  out,  what 
kind  of  decorations  prevailed,  were  at  that  time  re- 
garded as  strictly  individual.  Differences  of  taste 
might  be  good-naturedly  discussed,  but  it  was  not  con- 
sidered of  consequence  whether  fashion  was  followed  or 
strict  etiquette  observed.  Each  hostess  entertained 
as  best  suited  her  convenience  and  her  estabhshment, 
without  ceremony  and  without  competition.  Strangers 
came  from  abroad,  and  were  met  with  ease  and  a 
graceful  welcome,  sometimes  at  a  formal  banquet, 
sometimes  at  a  simple  household  meal.  Many  of  those 
beautiful  and  imposing  dwellings  are  still  preserved  and 
are  the  pride  of  the  community,  but  the  spirit  and 


A    NEW    PATH  113 

traditions  of  the  past  linger  in  but  a  few.  The  rural 
setting  in  which  they  were  placed,  the  green  parks  and 
picturesque  groves,  have  disappeared. 

On  the  Norton  estate  a  lover  of  solitude  might 
wander  for  an  afternoon  through  the  footpaths  which 
intersected  its  woods,  ending  in  the  secluded  shade  of 
Divinity  Hall,  and  thus  back  to  the  town  through  what 
was  known  as  "Professors'  Row."  Closing  that  vista 
stood  the  old  gambrel-roofed  house,  celebrated  by  the 
poet  Holmes  as  his  birthplace.  Across  the  common 
was  the  arsenal,  with  antiquated  dwellings  around  it 
embowered  in  foliage.  There  were  walled  dooryards, 
where  the  lilac  bushes  blossomed  bright  in  springtime, 
and  the  little  gates  swung  out  on  the  graveled  path- 
way; narrow  lanes  between  stiff  brick  houses  mellowed 
in  tint;  colonial  mansions  with  prim  pediments  and 
porches,  and  garden  beds  edged  with  box.  Everywhere 
the  great  elms  overarched  the  roadways,  and  gave  a 
sense  of  retirement  and  calm.  The  little  town  stretched 
only  to  the  edge  of  the  salt  marshes  and  on  the  other 
side  sloped  away  into  the  open  country  of  the  Middlesex 
farms,  with  glimpses  of  the  winding  river,  the  wooded 
Fells,  and  far  away  the  stretches  of  forest  on  the 
northern  hills.  It  was  a  place  apart  from  the  great 
marts  of  traffic,  from  smoke  and  dust  and  machinery; 
the  atmosphere  was  wholly  academic,  the  setting  pro- 
vincial; the  currents  of  life  flowed  on  evenly  and  in 
placid  content. 

Week-day  prayers  and  Sunday  services  were  held  in 
University  Hall,  that  noble  structure  which  still  bears 
testimony  to  the  architectural  supremacy  of  Bulfinch. 
For  commencement  exercises  and  other  public  occa- 
sions the  college  was  permitted  the  use  of  the  village 


114  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

meeting-house  and  it  was  there  that  on  September  5  the 
induction  took  place  of  Rev.  Frederic  D.  Huntington, 
D.  D.,  as  Preacher  to  the  University  and  Plummer 
Professor  of  Christian  Morals.  The  discourse  was 
preached  by  Rev.  James  Walker,  president  of  the 
institution;  prayer  was  offered  by  the  Rev.  John 
Albro,  pastor  of  the  Orthodox  Congregational  Church, 
in  Cambridge;  the  Scriptures  read  by  Rev.  Con  vers 
Francis,  professor  in  the  Theological  School ;  the 
prayer  of  induction  offered  by  Rev.  William  A.  Stearns, 
D.  D.,  president  of  Amherst  College,  and  the  concluding 
prayer  by  Rev.  John  Pryor,  D.  D.  The  hymns  were 
the  inspiring  invocation  of  Montgomery,  "  O  Spirit  of 
the  living  God,"  and  an  original  composition  written 
by  Rev.  William  Newell,  D.  D.,  minister  of  the  parish, 
beginning,  — 

"  Welcome,  servant  of  the  Lord  ! 
Bear  aloft  the  torch  of  truth." 

One  of  the  entering  class  of  that  year  described  the 
scene  fifty  years  later :  — 

'*  We  freshmen  had  been  given  seats  in  the  back  pews, 
but  I  can  see,  almost  as  plainly  as  if  it  were  yesterday, 
the  venerable  Dr.  James  Walker,  the  then  president 
of  the  college,  standing  on  the  pulpit  platform,  his 
fine  countenance  showing  a  wonderful  blend  of  dignity 
and  gentleness,  and  face  to  face  with  him,  the  stalwart, 
broad-shouldered  figure  of  the  younger  man,  to  whom 
he  was  delivering  the  charge."  ^ 

The  president's  sermon  was  a  strong  plea  for  the 
Christian  education  of   youth    in  college,  conceding, 

^  Rev.  William  Reed  Huntington:  Memorial  sermon,  "The  Good 
Shepherd, "  preached  at  Emmanuel  Church,  Boston,  at  the  unveiling 
of  the  memorial  tablet,  November  26,  1905. 


A   NEW   PATH  115 

however  "in  the  main  as  true,"  that  "the  religious,  or 
at  any  rate  the  Christian  Hfe  is  not  a  development  of 
human  nature,  but  something  superinduced  upon  it, 
and  wholly  the  work  of  grace."  After  citing  history  in 
favor  of  the  university  as  preeminently  the  "child  of 
the  church,"  he  said:  "Of  course  it  is  no  longer  neces- 
sary that  the  teaching  or  discipline  of  colleges  should 
make  men  theologians.  The  greatest  change  which  has 
taken  place  of  late  in  respect  to  education  consists  in 
this,  that  it  has  become  a  distinct  profession.  It  is 
within  the  memory  of  some  of  us,  when  professors  and 
tutors  were  taken,  almost  as  a  matter  of  course,  from 
among  clergymen  and  students  in  divinity;  now  as  a 
general  rule,  a  professor  is  as  much  a  layman  as  a 
lawyer  or  a  physician  is.  This  change  has  made  it  not 
less,  but  more  indispensable,  that  there  should  be  a 
pastor  of  the  college,  to  take  care  of  its  religious  in- 
terests, and  to  conduct  its  religious  services.  It  only 
remained  to  find  the  man ;  that  the  selection  has  been 
made  in  wisdom,  we  have  the  best  evidence  of  which 
the  case  admits,  in  the  almost  entire  unanimity  with 
which  it  has  been  made,  and  also  the  hearty  concur- 
rence it  has  met  with  from  the  public,  including  the 
leading  and  best  minds  of  all  denominations." 

Mr.  Huntington's  reply  expressed  his  sense  of  the 
dignity  of  the  presence  he  was  in,  the  variety  of  inter- 
ests there  represented,  declaring,  "the  best  *  inaugu- 
ral' I  could  pronounce  would  be  a  confession  of  per- 
sonal insufficiency,  and  an  invocation  of  all  good 
men's  prayers  for  the  heavenly  help.  I  wish  to  re- 
member, and  I  beg  you,  sir,  never  to  suffer  me  to  for- 
get, that  my  special  and  elect  business  here  is  to  be  a 
minister  of  Christ;    not  of  nature-worship,  which  is 


116  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

idolatry,  not  of  pantheism,  which  is  superstition, 
not  of  a  religion  humanly  created  or  developed,  which 
is  self-contradiction,  not  of  an  ethical  philosophy, 
which  has  no  Jesus  for  its  embodiment  and  no  cross 
for  its  symbol.  You  will  not  expect  me  to  offer  here 
my  salutations  or  invitations  to  the  members  of  the 
classes  that  I  am  hereafter  to  address.  What  is  in  my 
heart  for  them  —  and  I  hope  nothing  that  is  not  there 
—  I  am  to  say  to  them  from  week  to  week.  If  a  cordial 
desire  to  enter  in  among  them  with  genuine  relations 
of  simple  good-will,  —  if  a  natural  liking  for  young  men 
and  a  large  faith  in  their  predominant  traits,  —  if  a 
profound  conviction  that  the  only  religion  which  has 
either  a  right  to  be  accepted  among  them,  or  a  promise 
from  Heaven  that  it  shall  be,  is  a  religion  that  is  genial, 
magnanimous,  earnest,  direct,  and  positive,  a  religion 
that  respects  every  manly  instinct,  comprehends  every 
honorable  feeling  and  scorns  all  but  generous  manners 
and  considerate  methods  of  approach,  —  and  if  a  de- 
termination to  be  of  any  kind  or  degree  of  brotherly 
service  among  them  that  their  free  will  may  allow  — 
if  these  are  regarded  by  them  as  legitimate  grounds  of 
confidence  or  affection,  then  they  and  I  shall  be  friends ; 
and  if  friends  then  fellow-helpers  to  the  truth.  Then 
we  shall  do  something  together  for  the  perpetual 
rededication  of  these  ancient  and  honored  halls  to 
Christ  and  the  church,  and  the  scholars  of  human 
learning  shall  be  kings  and  priests  unto  God." 

Cambridge,  Nov.  10,  '55. 
To  Miss  Bethia  Huntington. 

Dear  Sister :  —  You  will  like  to  hear  of  our  safe 
settlement  in  the  new  quarters.    They  are  vastly  bet- 


A    NEW   PATH  117 

tered  by  paint  and  paper  and  furniture.  We  have 
even  some  advantages  that  we  never  had  at  the  dear 
old  home  on  the  Highlands.  My  study  is  charming, 
and  I  Avish  you  could  look  in  upon  its  coziness  this 
morning.  The  fuss  and  pains  of  getting  fixed  have 
been  enormous  and  can  hardly  be  looked  back  upon 
without  a  groan.  The  thanksgiving  at  restored  order 
is  sincere.  The  expense  incurred  in  all  this  and  some 
other  extra  outlays  can  hardly  be  less  than  a  thousand 
dollars,  — a  sum  which  I  propose  to  raise  this  season  by 
lyceum  lectures.  The  correspondence  arranging  these 
is  a  sad  encroachment  upon  time.  Indeed,  what  with 
special  tasks,  and  receiving  calls,  we  have  hardly  yet  had 
time  to  breathe.  Cambridge  people  are  certainly  abun- 
dant in  their  attentions.  Our  rooms  are  stocked  with 
flowers  and  fruits,  and  every  kindness  has  been  shown 
us.  If  only  the  Holy  Spirit  should  awaken  a  Christian 
interest  in  the  college,  my  joy  would  be  complete. 

The  house  set  apart  for  the  Plummer  professor 
made  a  delightful  home.  It  was  large  and  cheerful, 
ample  in  its  accommodations  and  possessed  some  charm- 
ing features  which  delighted  the  children.  There  was 
a  little  inside  window,  swinging  open  above  the  landing 
of  the  staircase,  through  which  of  an  evening  would 
come  the  hum  of  voices  when  company  was  assembled 
below;  strains  of  music  from  the  piano,  the  accom- 
paniment of  a  song,  or  the  lively  tune  of  a  dance.  The 
professor  and  his  wife  enjoyed  gathering  young  people 
around  them.  From  the  first  Mr.  Huntington  set 
himself  to  become  personally  acquainted  with  the 
undergraduates  and  to  entertain  them  under  his  own 
roof.  This  was  not  difficult  at  a  period  w^hen  the  en- 


118  FREDERIC    BAN    HUNTINGTON 

tering  class  numbered  barely  a  hundred.  It  was  the 
custom  to  invite  the  freshmen  to  Sunday  evening  tea,  in 
groups  of  not  more  than  eight,  and  those  who  cared  to 
keep  up  the  acquaintance  were  made  to  feel  at  home 
at  any  time. 

The  intercourse  of  every-day  life  offered  agreeable 
associations  to  the  newcomers.  They  found  two  old 
Northampton  friends  living  in  Quincy  Street.  Harriet 
Mills  was  now  Mrs.  Charles  Henry  Davis,  her  hus- 
band the  head  of  the  "Nautical  Almanac,"  and  later 
a  distinguished  admiral.  Sallie  Mills  was  the  wife  of 
Benjamin  Peirce,  the  great  mathematician.  Judge 
Charles  P.  Huntington  had  married  a  third  sister  Helen, 
so  that  there  was  a  family  connection.  In  the  near 
vicinity  were  Governor  and  Mrs.  Washburn  and  their 
daughter,  most  highly  valued  friends;  Professor 
Felton  and  his  family;  Professor  Jeffries  Wyman,  Dr. 
Beck  the  German  scholar,  Professor  Lovering,  and  his 
wife  who  was  an  old  Boston  acquaintance.  The  future 
honored  head  of  the  university,  Charles  Eliot,  was  then 
a  young  tutor  and  had  lately  married  a  daughter  of 
Mr.  Huntington's  beloved  associate  in  the  ministry. 
Rev.  Ephraim  Peabody.  It  is  remembered  that  one 
morning  when  two  or  three  men  came  in  with  the 
chaplain  for  breakfast,  after  morning  prayer  at  the 
College  Chapel,  there  was  a  reference  to  the  sermon  of 
the  Sunday  previous  and  its  subject.  Mr.  Eliot,  one 
of  the  company,  quoted  some  lines  from  Mrs.  Brown- 
ing's "Vision  of  the  Poets,"  as  appropriate.  He  after- 
wards sent  them  to  the  preacher  and  they  were  printed 
in  the  discourse  entitled,  "  Salvation  not  from  suffering 
but  by  it,"  when  it  appeared  in  the  collection,  "  Sermons 
for  the  People."    One  of  the  constant  morning  guests 


A    NEW    PATH  119 

was  Professor  Francis  J.  Child,  and  for  two  winters  he 
occupied  rooms  in  the  house,  Hving  on  terms  of  delight- 
ful intimacy  with  Professor  Huntington.  His  warm, 
affectionate  nature,  delicate  wit,  and  ardent  disposition 
made  him  a  congenial  companion. 

Much  more  than  in  the  social  enlivenment  was  the 
change  to  a  university  town  an  agreeable  one.  There 
was  greater  freedom  of  thought,  a  larger  outlook,  and 
the  stimulus  arising  from  the  prospect  of  a  new  field  of 
labor.  Since  the  days  when  Mr.  Huntington  was  a 
student  at  the  Theological  School,  new  subjects  had 
begun  to  interest  men's  minds,  new  teachers  and  investi- 
gators had  come  forward,  and  generous  gifts  responded 
to  the  demands  of  science  and  the  liberal  arts.  A 
building  was  in  process  of  erection  for  the  researches 
in  the  Department  of  Chemistry  under  Professor 
Cooke.  Not  much  later  the  Museum  of  Natural  His- 
tory was  founded,  the  beginning  of  which  had  become 
familiar  to  the  inhabitants  of  Quincy  Street.  Not  only 
did  Professor  Agassiz  gather  around  him  in  his  home, 
foreign  savants  of  his  own  kindly  and  simple-minded 
character,  but  strangers  of  another  order  were  domesti- 
cated, a  huge  turtle  wandering  around  the  dooryard, 
or  tropical  reptiles  and  snakes  occasionally  heard  of. 
So  much  beloved  was  the  great  naturalist  that  even  the 
children  felt  the  benefit  of  his  presence  among  them. 
In  those  days  "  nature  study  "  as  a  subject  of  school 
curriculum  was  not  known,  but  there  was  much  in- 
terest in  collecting  specimens,  and  the  boys  entered 
with  ardor  into  the  pursuit.  A  group  of  them  in  the 
neighborhood  formed  a  small  society  of  their  own, 
called  "The  Agassiz  Natural  History  Society"  in 
which  Professor  Huntington  took  much  interest,  giving 


120  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

them  the  use  of  the  octagon  room  in  his  house,  for 
their  meetings.  Associated  together  in  this  pleasant 
study  were  George  Huntington,  then  thirteen  years 
old,  Constant  Davis,  son  of  the  admiral,  Benjamin 
Peirce  and  James  Lovering,  sons  of  professors,  Frederic 
Ware,  whose  father  was  the  author  of  "  Zenobia,"  and 
Robert  Peabody,  later  the  well-known  architect. 
Three  of  the  number  lived  only  to  early  manhood,  one 
scarcely  to  middle  life. 

George  Huntington  was  always  grateful  for  the  in- 
spiration which  awakened  his  interest,  taught  him  ac- 
curate habits  of  observation  and  research,  and  enabled 
him  to  share  with  others,  especially  his  children  and 
near  friends,  the  delight  he  experienced  in  birds  and 
flowers. 

Professor  Huntington  wrote  in  later  years:  "  I  notice 
that  on  the  memorial  which  is  to  be  raised,  at  Cam- 
bridge, to  Mr.  Agassiz,  it  is  proposed  to  omit  all  his 
long  list  of  honorary  titles,  conferred  by  crowns, 
universities,  and  national  societies,  and  to  write  after 
his  name  simply  the  word  '  teacher.'  The  first  honor 
belonging  to  his  large  mind,  I  conceive,  was  his  rever- 
ence for  the  mind  that  is  above  all  minds,  for  the  person, 
creatorship,  and  fatherhood  of  God.  His  second  honor 
was  that  he  loved,  with  an  affection  as  sweet  as  a  child's 
and  as  strong  as  a  woman's,  everything  that  the  Maker 
has  made,  from  the  mollusk  up  to  man,  and  from  the 
stars  in  the  sky  down  to  the  starfish  in  the  slime  of  the 
sea.  Next  to  them,  his  glory  was  his  passion  and  his 
power  in  giving  to  other  minds  the  wealth  of  his  own. 
The  term  that  is  to  be  carved  on  his  monument,  there- 
fore, is  a  tribute  not  only  to  the  scientific  master  but 
to  the  calling  he  chose  and  followed  to  the  end." 


A   NEW   PATH  121 

In  the  middle  of  the  last  century  social  life  within 
the  college  grounds  bore  the  same  simple  character 
as  the  functions  outside.  Seniors  were  satisfied  to 
entertain  their  guests  on  Class  Day  in  old  Holworthy, 
and  its  steep  stairways  and  low  dingy  rooms  were  the 
centre  of  fashionable  gayety.  There  was  but  a  limited 
interest  in  games.  Football  was  played  on  the  Delta 
and  boat-races  held  on  the  Charles,  with  spectators 
gathered  on  the  roofs  of  residences  on  the  Milldam. 
One  of  these  regattas,  which  occurred  in  July,  1858, 
was  described  by  President  Eliot  at  an  athletic  dinner 
more  than  forty  years  afterward.  Although  a  tutor  he 
took  an  oar  to  help  out  the  undergraduate  crew,  and 
they  won  a  glorious  victory  for  the  college,  amid  the 
plaudits  of  their  enthusiastic  friends.  The  president 
recalled  that  "  we  had  no  one  to  help  us  after  rowing 
the  six  miles,  and  we  just  rowed  back  to  Cambridge. 
I  remember  there  was  but  one  man  to  greet  us,  and 
that  was  the  Plummer  professor  of  those  days." 

Without  any  great  enthusiasm  for  sport,  Professor 
Huntington  was  always  an  advocate  for  athletics  and 
for  manly,  vigorous  pursuits.  As  a  country  boy,  bred 
to  farm  work,  active  exercises  such  as  swimming, 
horseback  riding,  and  skating  were  a  delight  to  him 
and  were  encouraged  in  his  children.  He  deplored  the 
sedentary  existence  often  engendered  by  the  change  to 
studious  habits  and  college  routine.  The  endowment 
of  the  new  professorship  had  enjoined  upon  its  incum- 
bent the  promotion  of  the  physical  as  well  as  the  moral 
welfare  of  the  students.  When  he  removed  to  Cam- 
bridge there  were  very  limited  accommodations  for 
gymnastic  exercise.  A  demand  was  felt  and  somewhat 
loudly  expressed,  but  the  decisive  step  was  taken  by 


122  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

Professor  Huntington,  who  secured  from  a  donor  in 
Boston  a  sum  sufficient  to  insure  the  erection  of  a 
building  well  equipped  for  those  days.  In  the  "Har- 
vard Magazine"  of  1859  it  is  mentioned  with  pride 
that  "conservative  Harvard  should  be  the  first  of  the 
colleges  in  this  country  to  incorporate  into  its  course  of 
education  an  organized  system  of  physical  training." 

In  August,  1855,  just  before  his  induction  at  Har- 
vard, Amherst  College,  his  alma  mater,  conferred 
upon  Frederic  Dan  Huntington  the  degree  of  doctor 
of  sacred  theology.  He  was  then  thirty-six  years  of 
age,  entering  a  new  career  full  of  hope  and  high  aims, 
possessing  the  sympathy  and  personal  magnetism 
which  success  in  pedagogy  requires,  and  thoroughly 
imbued  with  the  deep  responsibility  of  such  a  calling. 

In  1856  he  published  "  Unconscious  Tuition  "  which, 
in  the  form  of  a  text-book  for  teachers,  has  been  widely 
circulated  throughout  the  land  for  a  half  century. 
Although  a  practical  homily  on  the  personal  influence 
of  the  class  room,  it  is  much  more,  for  it  establishes 
the  spiritual  connection  between  pupil  and  teacher, 
without  which  education  fails  in  its  highest  purpose. 

These  words,  written  later,  express  what  he  himself 
always  kept  in  mind.  "Life  is  the  test  of  learning. 
Character  is  the  criterion  of  knowledge.  Not  what 
a  man  has,  but  what  he  is,  is  the  question  after  all. 
The  quality  of  soul  is  more  than  the  quantity  of  in- 
formation. Personal,  spiritual  substance  is  the  final 
resultant." 

It  was  in  this  spirit  that  work  was  taken  up  in  the 
recitation  room,  on  the  playground,  in  the  chapel. 
To  reach  the  youth  under  his  charge  on  the  religious 
side  of  their  nature  was  a  vital  and  important  question ; 


A    NEW    PATH  123 

"  to  conduct  the  devotions  so  that  they  shall  fulfill  the 
manifest  purpose  of  their  appointment;  have  a  spirit 
as  well  as  a  shape ;  bring  a  devout  sacrifice  as  well  as  a 
bodily  attendance;  diffuse  a  hallowing  influence  over 
the  restless  and  eager  life  congregated  there;  awaken 
strong  resolves  and  pure  aspirations  and  call  down 
the  answer  and  benediction  of  Heaven." 

In  an  article  on  the  subject  of  "  College  Prayers"  he 
finds  "  the  first  condition  of  any  adequate  benefit  from 
the  service  that  it  be  treated  by  all  that  are  responsible 
for  it  as  a  reality;  as  what  it  pretends  to  be;  as  real 
prayer."  In  those  days  the  enforcement  of  attendance 
on  the  daily  worship  had  its  undesirable  effect  in  the 
rush  and  haste  of  reaching  the  building  at  an  early  hour, 
and  the  mechanical  aspect  which  the  observance  bore. 
The  professor's  wife  found  her  sensibility  shocked 
when  the  boys  familiarly  talked  of  "  cutting  prayers  " 
and  begged  them  to  substitute  some  other  expression. 
Mr.  Huntington  deplored  any  connection  of  the  con- 
duct of  worship  with  discipline.  "  In  some  seminaries 
it  would  seem  as  if  the  final  cause  for  prayers  were  a 
convenient  convocation  of  the  scholars,  as  a  substitute 
for  roll-call.  They  must  be  somehow  brought  together, 
in  order  to  come  under  the  eye  of  a  monitor  and  be 
counted,  and  so  they  are  summoned  to  praise  God." 

In  his  own  practice  he  conformed  to  the  simple 
custom  for  daily  service,  of  prayer  and  reading  of 
Scripture.  With  an  uncommonly  beautiful  voice, 
thoroughly  trained,  and  expressive;  with  a  gift  in 
prayer  which  was  one  of  his  highest  powers  for  spiritual 
uplifting,  even  a  careless  and  inattentive  audience  of 
immature  youth  might  well  at  times  feel  a  stirring  of 
soul.    In  the  closing  passages  of  the  article  quoted  he 


124  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

says:  "Knowledge  and  faith  have  one  interest,  one 
aim,  one  God  and  Saviour  to  confess  and  serve;  and 
therefore  over  every  step  in  education,  every  lesson  in 
learning,  every  day  of  the  student's  tried  and  tempted 
life,  should  be  spread  the  hallowing  peace  and  the 
saving  benediction  of  prayer.  Deep  down  in  their  souls 
students  feel  this.  At  least  in  their  better  moments 
they  realize  it.  Even  the  most  impulsive  and  incon- 
siderate have  some  dim,  instinctive  witnessing  within 
them  that  it  is  good  to  call  on  God.  Many  an  earnest 
believer  has  felt  his  first  renewing  convictions,  the  first 
strong  grasp  of  the  hand  of  remorse,  the  first  touch  of 
penitential  sorrow,  amidst  these  apparently  neglected 
entreaties.  The  sure  arrow  from  the  Divine  Word 
has  there  reached  many  a  haughty  and  obdurate  heart. 
Could  the  secrets  hid  in  the  hearts  of  educated  men  be 
revealed,  we  have  no  doubt  it  would  be  seen  how  large 
a  part  the  college  prayers  bore  in  the  hearts  of  initia- 
tion or  the  reinvigorating  of  their  best  designs.  Many  a 
man  has  there  in  silence  said  honestly  and  faithfully 
to  his  own  conscience,  'To-day  I  shall  live  more 
righteously;  meanness  and  sin  shall  be  more  hateful 
to  me;  generosity  and  goodness  more  lovely;'  and  all 
the  day  has  answered  to  the  pledge.  Admonitions  that 
would  have  been  rejected  if  offered  from  man  to  man 
work  their  effectual  plea  in  the  indirect  persuasion 
of  a  request  to  the  Father  of  Lights.  Noble  friendships 
between  young  hearts  have  felt  themselves  more  dis- 
interested and  more  secure  for  the  holy  appeal  to  the 
source,  making  each  man  feel  himself  a  brother  in  the 
mighty  fraternity  of  love.  The  noble  claims  of  human- 
ity, girding  him  to  labor  and  suffer  for  his  kind  as  the 
only  worthy  calling  of   his  scholarly  life,  have  there 


A    NEW    PATH  125 

pressed  their  way  into  the  heart  of  hearts  through  a 
clause  of  the  Bible  that  speaks  to  the  rich  and  the  poor, 
or  a  supplication  for  sage  and  slave  alike,  for  bond  and 
free,  for  the  heathen  and  the  helpless.  Eminent  ser- 
vants of  the  best  causes,  disinterested  patriots,  preachers 
of  Christ;  missionaries  to  the  ends  of  the  earth  have 
taken  there  the  first  impulse  that  bore  them  on  to  their 
places  of  heroic  action  or  martyr-like  endurance,  — 
faithful  unto  death,  awaiting  crowns  of  life." 

Professor  Huntington  made  himself  acquainted 
with  the  students'  daily  lives  and  interests.  Of  the  close 
relations  established,  the  following  tribute  testifies.  It 
was  sent  "  in  loving  memory.  It  comes  from  the  heart. 
I  write  of  the  things  that  never  die.  I  entered  Harvard 
in  1857.  My  impression  is  that  the  post  of  chaplain 
was  vacant  for  some  time  prior  to  the  appointment 
of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Huntington.  When  he  became  chap- 
lain he  was  a  member  of  the  faculty,  but  we  soon 
learned  that  all  confidences  to  him  were  sacredly  kept, 
and  that  he  had  come  to  be  the  friend  and  adviser  of  the 
students.  They  gladly  accepted  him  as  such.  He 
was  trusted  and  beloved.  He  not  only  helped  many 
to  better  resolutions  and  a  higher  life  but  he  raised  the 
standard  of  truth  and  honor  throughout  the  college." 

Another  says :  "  The  university  pastor  was  a  frequent 
visitor  in  the  students'  rooms.  He  respected  every  form 
of  religious  thought  and  seldom  referred  to  matters  of 
faith,  except  when  the  voluntary  remarks  of  students 
led  in  that  direction.  He  often  invited  a  number  of 
students  to  his  home.  No  favoritism  was  apparent  on 
these  occasions.  Indigent  and  ungainly  students  from 
the  rural  districts  were  received  with  the  same  kindly 
welcome  which  awaited  rich  men's  sons." 


126  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

One  "who  witnessed  Dr.  Huntington's  devotion  to 
the  exigencies  of  the  sick-room  and  the  death-bed  of 
students,  and  who  has  known  with  what  eager  confi- 
dence young  men  resorted  to  his  study  for  spiritual 
counsel,"  adds:  "His  affectionate  regard  and  kind 
treatment  towards  the  young  men,  in  their  hours  of 
sickness  and  sorrow,  was  more  like  that  of  an  elder 
brother  than  a  professional  tutor,  and  his  wise  counsels 
and  earnest  labor  for  their  religious  advancement 
have  been  more  like  the  solicitous  yearnings  of  a 
devoted  father  than  the  discharge  of  the  routine  of  a 
college  professor."  ^   From  another  source:  — 

"In  1859,  at  the  age  of  fifteen,  I  was  sent  from  my 
home  in  Maryland  to  take  the  Harvard  examinations. 
In  presenting  myself  for  this  purpose.  Professor  Hunt- 
ington was  one  of  the  first  to  interest  himself  in  me. 
Noting  my  age,  he  strongly  urged  me  not  to  attempt 
the  arduous  college  course  for  at  least  two  years,  notwith- 
standing my  apparent  preparedness.  Although  an  entire 
stranger  he  took  me  to  his  house  to  tea,  gave  me  letters 
of  introduction  to  Professor  Park  and  Mrs.  Harriet 
Beecher  Stowe,  of  Andover,  commending  me  to  their 
interest.  I  took  his  advice,  and  he  gave  me  in  addition 
a  long  and  earnest  talk  about  my  religious  duties, 
which  I  have  always  remembered  with  gratitude.  I 
remained  under  his  care  until  the  clouds  of  civil  war 
compelled  my  return  and  participation.  The  interest 
he  manifested  in  me  under  these  circumstances  could 
never  be  forgotten,  and  it  has  always  been  an  inspiration 
when  similar  opportunities  have  been  presented  to 
me.  Consequently  I  have  always  held  his  name  in 
great  reverence  and  in  loving  remembrance." 

^  The  Boston  Recorder,  March,  1860.  "  Correspondence  from 
Cambridge." 


A    NEW    PATH  127 

The  years  of  Professor  Huntington's  residence  in 
Cambridge,  from  1855  to  1860,  were  those  of  intense 
poHtical  feehng,  high  passions,  and  sectional  bitterness. 
It  was  not  partisanship,  but  the  deeper  struggle  for 
supremacy  of  ideas  which  swayed  North  and  South, 
while  industrial  and  vested  interests  combined  to  com- 
bat the  abhorrence,  steadily  growing  in  men's  minds, 
of  that  policy  of  the  national  government  which  up- 
held slavery  as  supported  by  judicial  authority.  The 
household  at  Hadley  had  been  nurtured  in  an  ardent 
longing  for  the  abolition  of  human  warfare  as  well  as 
of  slavery,  Elizabeth  Huntington  might  well  have 
expressed  her  own  creed  in  the  noble  lines  of  Hartley 
Coleridge :  — 

'*  Far  is  the  time,  remote  from  human  sight, 
When  war  and  discord  in  the  world  shall  cease; 
Yet  every  prayer  for  universal  peace 
Avails  the  blessed  time  to  expedite." 

From  the  pulpit  and  in  the  press  Professor  Huntington 
had  always  borne  vigorous  testimony  against  tyranny 
and  oppression,  as  a  strong  believer  in  freedom  and 
national  righteousness,  but  he  had  never  allied  himself 
with  the  Abolitionist  party.  For  Charles  Sumner  he 
had  a  sympathetic  admiration,  and  in  the  heated  at- 
mosphere after  the  assault  upon  the  senator  his  indig- 
nation rose  high  with  that  of  citizens  of  Massachusetts 
of  all  classes  and  predilections. 

In  Cambridge  a  public  meeting  of  protest  was  held 
June  2,  1856,  and  resolutions  drafted  by  a  committee 
with  Richard  H.  Dana,  Jr.,  as  chairman.  The  pre- 
amble states  the  offense  to  be  "defended  and  adopted 
by  the  slave-holding  power,  by  their  representatives 
and  their  press,  and  seen  in  connexion  with  the  whole 


128  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

course  of  things  relating  to  Kansas  and  with  other  acts 
elsewhere  and  heretofore,  we  recognize  not  an  isolated 
act  of  one  man,  but  a  part  of  a  system,  not  the  accident 
of  passion,  but  the  effect  of  causes  permanent  in  their 
nature,  and  increasing  in  their  powers.  We  see  in  it 
part  of  a  system  which  aims  at  the  subjugation  of  free 
speech  and  free  action  in  the  free  states,  and  in  their 
representatives.  We  see  in  it  a  part  of  a  system,  the 
latest  and  most  extreme  encroachments  of  that  fearful 
oligarchy  of  slave  powers,  which  has  usurped  political 
domination  and  now  threatens  to  spread  a  moral 
servitude  over  the  land." 

The  resolutions  declare  a  "solemn  conviction  that 
the  time  has  come  when  the  people  of  the  free  states 
must  unite  in  one  earnest  effort  to  recover  their  per- 
sonal liberties  and  political  equality  and  to  retrieve 
the  honor  of  the  country.  The  Constitution  puts  in  our 
hands,  by  legal  and  peaceable  means,  the  power  to  do  all 
this.    Let  it  be  done." 

The  speeches  on  this  occasion  were  from  Professor 
Joel  Parker  and  Professor  Theophilus  Parsons  of  the 
Harvard  I^aw  School,  and  Professor  Huntington.  Hon. 
Richard  H.  Dana  presented  the  resolutions  with  re- 
marks which  were  received  with  great  applause.  From 
personal  acquaintance  he  made  this  tribute  to  Mr. 
Sumner :  — 

"When  proposed  as  candidate  for  the  Senate,  the 
highest  ofRce  Massachusetts  can  give,  —  while  his 
election  hung  trembling  in  the  balance,  week  after 
week,  when  one  or  two  votes  would  secure  it,  and  this 
or  that  thing  said  or  done  it  was  thought  would  gain 
them,  nothing  would  induce  Charles  Sumner  to  take 
one  step  from  his  regular  course  from  his  house  to  his 


A    NEW   PATH  129 

office,  to  speak  to  any  man;  he  would  not  make  one 
bow  the  more,  nor  put  his  hand  to  a  line,  however 
simple  or  unobjectionable,  to  secure  the  result.  I  know 
—  I  have  a  right  to  say  this  —  I  know  that  in  this  course 
he  resisted  temptations  and  advice  and  persuasions 
which  few  men  would  not  have  yielded  to." 

The  words  of  Mr.  Huntington  at  the  close  of  his 
speech  show  the  vehemence  by  which  he  himself 
was  moved.  '*  It  has  been  well  said  that  the  New  Testa- 
ment gives  us  not  the  Resolves  of  the  Apostles,  but  the 
Acts  of  the  Apostles.  Sir,  we  must  hold  fast  these  fine 
sentiments  we  utter  so  fluently  till  they  take  shape  and 
consistency  in  action.  The  summer  heat  must  not  wilt 
them  down ;  the  summer  pleasures  must  not  emasculate 
them;  the  early  and  latter  rain  must  not  dilute  them. 
The  autumn  frosts  must  not  wither  them.  We  must 
keep  them  till  next  November.  Then  we  must  take 
them  between  our  fingers,  and  put  them  into  those 
boxes  where  are  the  fate-books  of  republics,  — the 
treasury-chests  of  every  wise  and  upright  democracy. 
And  if  the  Missouri  rioters  or  the  renegade  knighthood 
of  the  Carolinas  shall  come  on  to  snatch  the  very 
ballot-boxes  out  of  our  hands,  then,  sir,  we  must  put 
them  into  —  but  Mr.  Chairman,  I  am  a  member  of  the 
Peace  Society  [cheers  and  cries  of  '  Go  on '].  No,  it  shall 
not  come  to  that! 

**If  we  are  faithful  and  true  it  shall  not  come  to  that. 
A  great  revolution  is  taking  place,  deep  in  the  minds  of 
men,  one  of  those  revolutions  which  never,  never  go 
back." 

An  incident  of  that  time  is  described  in  the  "  Memoir 
and  Letters  of  Charles  Sumner,"  by  Edward  L.  Peirce. 

"As  soon  as  Sumner's  purpose  to  go  to  Boston  to 


130  FREDERIC   DAN   HUNTINGTON 

vote  for  Fremont  was  known,  a  committee  of  citizens 
waited  on  him  and  urged  his  acceptance  of  a  banquet; 
this  invitation  he  declined,  but  he  was  unable  to  re- 
press the  popular  sympathy  which  sought  expression  in 
a  public  reception.  This  became  an  imposing  demon- 
stration, unorganized,  spontaneous,  and  heartfelt.  A 
committee  of  whom  Professor  Huntington  of  Harvard 
College,  since  bishop  of  Central  New  York,  took  the 
lead,  arranged  that  it  should  be  'without  military 
display,  but  civil,  dignified,  and  elevated  in  character.'  ^ 
(Professor  Huntington's  letter,  October  10,  1856,  to 
Sumner.) 

"Professor  H.  presented  Sumner  as  one  who  *had 
come,  a  cheerful  and  victorious  sufferer,  out  of  the 
great  conflicts  of  humanity  with  oppression,  of  ideas 
with  ignorance,  of  scholarship  and  refinement  with 
barbarian  vulgarity,  of  conscience  with  selfish  expe- 
diency, of  right  with  wrong  '  This  to  the  mayor.  He 
was  presented  to  the  governor  by  Professor  H.  as  one 
*  whose  friends  are  wherever  justice  is  revered,  who 
has  a  neighbor  in  every  victim  of  wrong  throughout 
the  world,  now  returning  to  his  state,  her  faithful 
steward,  her  eloquent  and  fearless  advocate,  her  hon- 
ored guest,  her  beloved  son.' " 

It  has  been  mentioned  in  the  correspondence  of 
Professor  Huntington  that  owing  to  the  inadequacy 
of  his  salary  to  meet  the  expenses  of  his  position  he  was 
obliged  to  devote  part  of  his  time  during  the  winter 
months  to  the  lecture  field.  In  spite  of  the  pressure  of 
other  duties,  and  the  necessary  absence  from  home,  he 
enjoyed  meeting  audiences  of  thinking  people  and  felt 

^  Edward  Everett  was  first  asked  to  deliver  the  address  of  wel- 
come but  declined  for  political  reasons. 


A   NEW   PATH  131 

the  animation  which  numbers  and  enthusiasm  give 
to  a  public  speaker.  That  there  was  nothing  of  the 
commercial  spirit  in  the  contracts  into  which  he  en- 
tered may  be  gathered  from  the  following  anecdote, 
pubhshed  in  the  "Utica  Observer,"  of  June  22,  1903. 
Speaking  of  Bishop  Huntington,  then  the  bishop  of  the 
diocese,  the  editor  says:  "It  was  when  his  pastorate 
of  a  Boston  church  was  at  the  height  of  its  brilliancy 
that  he  was  induced  to  come  to  the  interior  of  New 
York  for  the  first  time  and  to  lecture  before  the  Utica 
Mechanics'  Association.  His  engagement  had  been 
made  without  a  price  being  named.  The  chairman  of 
the  lecture  committee,  when  the  arrangements  were 
otherwise  completed,  wrote  to  him  to  learn  what  com- 
pensation he  would  expect.  The  answer  was  unusual. 
*  I  have  never,'  he  replied  in  effect, '  found  myself  able 
to  affix  a  price  to  intellectual  or  moral  labor.  When 
the  lecture  has  been  delivered  you  may  give  me  what 
you  will.'  That  letter,  cherished  for  years,  was  burned 
in  the '  Observer's '  fire  in  1884  with  many  another  epistle 
of  less  value  from  men  ranking  high  in  the  lecture 
field.  It  was  cherished  as  an  illustration  of  the  man  so 
many  of  us  have  come  to  know  better  and  to  love  and 
venerate  so  highly  in  these  later  years." 

There  is  a  personal  incident  connected  with  these 
days  of  lecturing.  In  the  library  left  behind  by  Bishop 
Huntington  is  a  volume  on  the  fly-leaf  of  which  the 
text,  "  Cast  thy  bread  upon  the  waters,  for  thou  shalt 
find  it  after  many  days,"  was  written  under  an  in- 
scription made  "with  grateful  love  and  esteem."  The 
author  of  the  book,  a  luminous  and  inspiring  inter- 
pretation of  Divine  power  in  the  world,  wrote  in 
explanation  of  this  tribute :  — 


132  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

"  I  shall  never  forget  or  ever  pass  away  entirely  out 
of  the  influence  of  an  address  I  once  heard  from  you 
(thirty-three  or  thirty-four  years  ago)  while  I  was  a 
student  at  Williams  College.  For  the  first  time  I  felt 
myself  lifted  by  a  clergyman's  voice  into  an  atmosphere 
of  natural  freedom  with  implications  also,  sweet  re- 
straints, equally  natural,  that  belong  to  the  spiritual 
realm.  It  was  the  coming  home  to  the  Father's  house. 
That  firm  and  gentle  voice  will  always  remain  in  my 
memory.  The  vibrations  have  grown  stronger  during 
all  these  years,  as  into  a  triumphal  psalm.  Now  they 
come  back  to  you,  in  so  far  as  I  can  utter  them  in  the 
little  book  I  send  you." 

The  occasion,  still  clear  in  the  bishop's  mind,  had 
been  remembered  by  him  as  a  lost  opportunity,  owing 
partly  to  circumstances  attending  the  delivery  of  the 
address.  He  was  obliged  to  leave  his  country  home 
very  early  in  the  morning,  after  a  night  of  anxiety 
through  illness  in  the  family,  and  taking  a  long  drive 
in  wet  weather  across  the  hills,  arrived  to  find  in  a 
close  and  heated  hall,  an  audience  wearied  with  pro- 
longed literary  exercises.  It  seemed  to  him  that  his 
words  fell  lifeless  and  unproductive  upon  the  ears 
of  all  present.  When  he  learned  long  after  of  the 
effect  upon  one  listener,  he  was  deeply  touched 
that  the  message  which  he  deemed  unheeded  had  not 
only  wrought  its  work  but  was  still  passed  on,  through 
the  eloquence  of  another's  rendering,  to  many  eager 
souls. 

In  the  winter  of  1857-58  Mr.  Huntington  delivered 
a  course  in  Brooklyn,  the  Graham  Lectures,  which 
were  afterwards  published  under  the  title  "Divine 
Aspects  of  Human  Society." 


A    NEW    PATH  133 

Cambridge,  Dec.  31,  1857. 

My  dear  Father  and  Sister:  —  I  must  couple 
you  together,  in  the  parting  salutation  of  the  old  year. 
It  is  almost  gone.  As  it  draws  to  an  end,  my  thoughts 
and  my  heart  turn  to  you,  to  the  old  home,  and  I  would 
fain  seat  myself  with  you  if  I  could,  and  watch  the 
dying  embers,  and  feel  the  spell  of  the  past,  and  listen 
to  the  voices  of  the  dead,  and  let  the  solemn  hours 
drop  into  eternity  in  the  very  spot  where  my  being  be- 
gan. It  always  seems  as  if  mother  was  nearer  there  than 
anywhere  else.  Uncle's  departure  has  revived  very 
vividly  the  feeling  of  her  presence  and  the  recollection 
of  her  face  and  form,  and  voice,  and  words.  How 
much  you  must  all  feel  this  change.  For  although  he 
has  so  long  lived  apart  from  the  world,  and  even  from 
the  next  houses,  yet  the  consciousness  that  he  was 
there  remained,  —  and  where  the  living  are  so  few, 
one  form  is  sadly  missed. 

Though  absent  from  you,  I  think  I  have  realized  it  a 
good  deal  and  followed  you  along  with  close  sympathy. 
Death  is  a  much  greater  event  there  than  in  a  crowded, 
hurrying  population  like  this.  It  is  as  if  the  gate  into 
eternity  swung  wide  open,  and  we  could  almost  look  in. 
If  our  faith  in  Him  who  is  the  "  Resurrection  and  the 
Life"  is  genuine,  the  prospect  ought  not  to  give  us 
sadness,  or  loneliness,  or  fear,  but  peace,  confidence,  and 
joy.  .  .  .  Christmas  has  come  and  gone.  There  was 
the  usual  profusion  of  presents,  almost  bewildering. 
Some  of  our  neighbors  kindly  remembered  us,  and  the 
families  about  us  have  been  quite  social.  A  great  deal 
is  done,  in  various  ways,  by  lectures,  concerts,  fairs, 
tableaux,  parties,  &c.,  for  the  poor.  I  heard  quite  an  elo- 
quent plea  for  them  by  Mr.  Everett.    But  the  merciful 


134  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

God  of  all  has  done  more  for  them  than  all  his  creatures 
by  ordaining  such  mild  skies,  and  pleasant  weather. 

Three  of  my  trips  to  Brooklyn  have  been  taken, 
and  have  proved  rather  pleasant,  —  furnishing  an 
opportunity  to  visit  various  friends,  and  to  hear  promi- 
nent preachers,  —  of  all  sorts  and  styles,  —  Bethune, 
Tyng,  Beecher,  Storrs,  Alexander.  Only  once  I  have 
preached  —  last  Sunday  morning  for  Storrs,  in  return 
for  his  favors  to  me  in  the  same  kind.  The  lecture 
audiences  are  grand,  quite  exciting,  —  some  twelve 
hundred  intelligent  people  in  the  hall,  and  a  hundred  or 
so  standing  crowded  in  the  passages  and  on  the  stair- 
cases outside. 

April  5,  1858. 

To  Miss  Bethia  Huntington. 

Yesterday  was  an  Easter  of  uncommon  outward 
splendor,  and  uncommon  joy  to  our  hearts.  Seven 
students  and  three  others  came  forward  and  joined 
the  college  church.  The  young  men  are  full  of  promise 
and  seem  to  be  respected  in  this  great  step. 

I  have  waited  long,  and  hardly  dared  to  hope  for 
such  a  sight.  Many  years  have  passed  since  any  mem- 
ber of  the  college  joined  the  church.  God  grant  that 
others  may  come,  and  all  stand  fast. 

The  distinctive  revival  movement  does  not  hitherto 
appear  much  in  the  college  institution,  though  there  is 
unusual  attention  to  religious  things,  and  meetings 
are  full.  This  week  is  the  anniversary  of  mother's 
birth  into  the  fullness  of  eternal  life,  and  of  her  first 
earthly  entrance  upon  it. 

Among  Professor  Huntington's  published  sermons  ^ 
is  one  preached  April  11,  1858,  on  the  Sunday  after  the 

^  Christian  Believing  and  Living. 


A    NEW    TATH  135 

preceding  letter  was  written.  An  introductory  note 
makes  "a  respectful  and  affectionate  acknowledg- 
ment to  the  students  of  the  college  who  received  it 
with  more  than  their  usual  attention,  many  of  whom 
have  asked  for  its  publication,  and  whose  uniform 
candor  makes  it  a  privilege  to  be  their  minister.  May 
they  all  be  *  taught  of  God,'  and  'lay  hold  on  eternal 
life.'  *This  is  life  eternal,  that  they  might  know  thee, 
the  only  true  God,  and  Jesus  Christ  whom  thou  hast 
sent.'"  The  subject  of  the  discourse  is  "Permanent 
Realities  of  Religion  and  the  Present  Religious  Inter- 
est." It  deals  with  the  subject  of  the  revival  meetings 
which  in  that  year  occupied  the  public  attention  to  a 
marked  degree.  The  words  of  the  writer  on  a  mani- 
festation not  greatly  in  accord  with  the  spirit  of  the 
denomination  he  represented  are  given  in  part.  On 
the  title-page  is  a  quotation  from  Frederic  W.  Robert- 
son, then  in  the  height  of  his  influence.  "Sin-laden 
and  guilty  men ;  the  end  of  all  the  Christian  ministry 
is  to  say  that  out  with  power  — '  Behold  the  Lamb  of 
God.' — When  we  believe  that  the  sacrifice  of  that 
Lamb  meant  love  to  us,  our  hearts  are  lightened  of 
their  load ;  the  past  becomes  as  nothing,  —  life  begins 
afresh."  The  text  was  from  Isaiah,  Iv,  6,  7:  "Seek 
ye  the  Lord  while  he  may  be  found,  call  ye  upon 
him  while  he  is  near:  let  the  wicked  forsake  his  way, 
and  the  unrighteous  man  his  thoughts:  and  let 
him  return  unto  the  Lord,  and  he  will  have  mercy 
upon  him;  and  to  our  God,  for  he  will  abundantly 
pardon."  The  writer  meets  plainly  an  opposition  to 
the  movement  acting  through  the  community  —  set- 
ting aside  the  word  "revival"  as  a  mere  name  and 
stating  instead  "substantial  facts,  which  for  Truth's 


136  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

sake  we  ought  to  see,  and  seeing  revere ; "  the  sense  of 
sonship,  the  feehng  of  God's  presence,  a  reahzation 
of  sin,  repentance,  the  need  of  sympathy,  the  value  of 
human  social  prayer."  Protests  are  made  against 
religious  excitements.  "Excitements  are  of  different 
kinds  and  degrees;  excitements  that  come  from  the 
senses  are  full  of  peril;  excitements  which,  necessarily, 
by  a  law  of  nature,  must  be  followed  by  a  reaction  even 
into  apathyy  are  hurtful.  These  statements  are  past 
question  and  need  not  be  oracularly  put  forth  every 
day  as  discoveries.  Indifference  so  stolid  that  man, 
made  to  love  God  and  goodness  with  all  his  heart,  can- 
not abide  in  it,  but  has  to  be  excited  out  of  it,  is  also 
suspicious.  A  coolness  so  complacent  that  it  must  be 
broken  up  by  a  wrench  of  repentance,  is  also  full  of 
peril.  Your  worldly  unbelief  is  hurtful.  We  have  to 
set  off  exposures  and  dangers  against  each  other,  in 
this  world,  and  find  the  safe  way  or  the  way  of  salvation, 
by  coming  as  quickly  as  we  can  to  our  Guide.  We  shall 
probably  estimate  the  harm  of  religious  fervor  very 
much  according  to  our  relative  estimate  of  the  impor- 
tance of  religion  itself.  There  are  indiscretions,  we 
hear.  No  doubt  of  it.  The  question  is  whether  the 
indiscretions  are  so  many,  and  so  glaring,  as  to  over- 
balance the  palpable  and  lasting  good  that  comes  of 
engaging  many  people  heartily  in  the  new  conviction 
that  they  have  a  spiritual,  immortal  capacity,  and  owe 
their  lives  to  their  Creator.  When  we  have  governments 
without  indiscretion,  colleges  without  indiscretion, 
manners,  trade,  navigation,  over  any  sort  of  sea,  with- 
out it,  we  shall  have  an  administration  of  Christianity 
without  indiscretion.  But  remember,  the  greatest  in- 
discretion we  can  possibly  fall  into  about  religion,  is 


A    NEW    PATH  137 

to  let  it  alone.  No  man,  it  seems  to  me,  who  looks 
largely  over  the  facts  and  phenomena  of  the  Christian 
world,  can  dare  to  insist  that  all  mankind  shall  take 
one  outward  path  to  Heaven.  The  inward  path  must 
be  essentially  the  same  for  all.  There  is  but  one  Door. 
'  By  me,'  Christ  said, '  enter  in ; '  '  I  am  the  Door.'  But 
the  ways  that  lead  to  the  door,  with  slighter  or  greater 
divergence  from  each  other,  reach  out  at  last,  over  all 
the  intellectual  territory  of  the  great  continent  of  hu- 
manity. Who  shall  not  rejoice  to  believe  that,  through 
them  all,  pilgrims  are  pressing  on,  sincerely,  patiently, 
humbly;  with  hope,  with  faith,  that  they  may  enter.? 
*Now  when  the  pilgrims  were  come  up  to  the  gate, 
there  was  written  over  it,  in  letters  of  gold,  "Blessed 
are  they  that  do  his  commandments,  that  they  may 
have  right  to  the  tree  of  life,  and  may  enter  in  through 
the  gates  into  the  city.'"  God  grant  to  his  church 
ever  new,  deeper,  more  genuine  revivals  of  pure  and 
undefiled  religion.  May  He  pour  out  his  spirit  upon  all 
flesh,  in  other  Pentecosts,  on  every  barren  place,  every 
cold  church,  every  unprofitable  heart." 

Oct.  2,  1856. 

To  Miss  Bethia  Huntington. 

You  will  be  interested  to  hear  that  a  goodly  number 
of  our  new  class  are  religious  men.  Last  Wednesday 
I  invited  together  all  the  church  members  of  the 
college  (most  of  them  of  Trinitarian  denominations) 
and  addressed  them  on  their  peculiar  duties  as  Chris- 
tian members  of  this  college.  It  was  an  earnest,  at- 
tentive, and  very  interesting  assembly,  of  nearly  a 
hundred  young  men. 


138  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

Distinctively  Mr.  Huntington  was  a  preacher,  and  this 
sacred  calling  was  in  his  mind  preeminent.  His  Sunday 
sermons  Avere  addressed  not  only  to  the  large  body  of 
undergraduates  and  members  of  the  other  university 
departments,  but  to  the  professors  and  their  families, 
whom  he  considered  under  his  special  pastoral  care. 
He  gathered  the  children  into  a  Sunday  school  held  at 
his  own  house,  where  classes  were  instructed;  at  one 
time  by  two  students  then  standing  in  unusually  close 
relations  to  the  chaplain,  —  William  R.  Huntington 
and  Francis  J.  Abbott.  In  the  administration  of  the 
services  he  set  himself  to  present  an  attractive  and 
reverent  form  of  worship.  The  building  and  com- 
pletion of  Appleton  Chapel,  in  October,  1858,  were  a 
source  of  great  interest  to  him,  gratifying  both  his 
strong  aesthetic  sense  and  his  growing  inclination  to- 
wards churchliness  in  the  outward  manifestation  of 
religion.  In  order  to  express  his  conception  of  public 
worship  he  prepared  a  service-book  which  was  used 
on  Sunday  afternoons. 

Although  this  was  done  with  the  approval  of  the 
president,  the  innovation  was  not  in  accordance  with 
the  views  of  some  of  the  faculty,  and  the  attempt  could 
not  be  called  successful.  The  compilation  was,  as  he 
himself  explains  in  the  preface,  "  a  considerable  de- 
viation from  the  Book  of  Common  Prayer,  that  is 
recognized  as  the  most  complete  body  of  liturgical 
exercises  in  our  language." 

In  the  pages  of  his  magazine  Professor  Huntington 
had  for  some  years  taken  notice  of  the  solemn  sea- 
sons of  commemoration  of  the  Saviour's  passion, 
resurrection,  and  ascension.  In  1858  he  reviewed 
"Christian  Days  and  Thoughts"  by  Rev.  Ephraim 


A    NEW    PATH  139 

Peabody,  offering  a  heartfelt  tribute  to  the  reverent  and 
devotional  spirit  of  the  book.  "  It  strengthens  the  ten- 
dency which  we  rejoice  to  find  growing  and  gaining 
on  every  side,  to  mark  and  keep  the  feasts  and  fasts  of 
the  church  in  a  wise  and  truly  catholic  observance. 
K  anything  in  laws  of  association  and  veneration  is 
clear,  it  would  seem  to  be  clear  that  the  time  of  Chris- 
tendom ought  to  be  all  measured  and  notched  and 
consecrated  by  the  leading  events  of  our  divine  Lord's 
experience  while  he  wore  the  form  of  our  humanity, 
and  thus  the  atmosphere  of  our  ordinary  existence 
be  kept  within  the  august  influence  of  the  supernatural 
age.  It  would  nourish  religion,  sustain  Christian  order, 
enrich  preaching  and  private  devotion,  and  shed  fresh 
beauty  over  the  hard  and  practical  aspects  of  our 
study  and  work." 

With  this  growing  appreciation  of  the  rich  spiritual 
inheritance  which  has  come  down  to  us  from  the  past. 
Dr.  Huntington  welcomed  the  selections  from  Lyra 
Catholica,  Germanica,  Apostolica,  and  other  "hal- 
lowed minstrelsy  of  the  Catholic  communion,  —  the 
time  being  quite  come  when  Christians  who  would  be 
truly  catholic  cannot  afford  to  lose  the  nourishment 
and  consolation  for  the  inward  life  which  any  branch 
of  Christ's  body  supplies."  Thus  he  wrote  in  that 
preface,  which  in  June,  1858,  commended  to  American 
readers  the  "  Hymns  of  the  Ages,"  a  compilation  made 
by  two  devout  women  who  were  his  personal  friends. 
The  introduction,  which  has  been  cited  as  an  example 
of  his  "  fine  culture  and  pure  English, "  closes  with  the 
following  paragraph.  "From  the  whole  vast  range  of 
Christian  thought,  experience,  and  imagination,  — 
from  the  fresh  melodies  lifted  in  the  morning  air  of  the 


140  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

Christian  ages,  —  from  that  long  Hne  of  consecrated 
and  aspiring  singers  reaching  back  to  the  days  of 
Constantine,  —  from  among  the  lofty  strains  of  Am- 
brose and  Jerome  and  their  strong  fellow-behevers, 
where  the  sanctity  of  centuries  is  so  wrought,  Hke  an 
invisible  aroma,  into  the  very  substance  and  structure 
of  the  verse  that  it  would  seem  as  if  some  prophetic 
sense  of  their  immortality  had  breathed  in  the  men  that 
wrote  them,  —  from  the  secret  cells  and  the  high  Ca- 
thedrals of  the  Continental  worship,  where  scholarship 
and  art  and  power  joined  with  piety  to  raise  the  lauds 
and  glorias,  the  matins  and  vespers,  the  sequences  and 
the  choral  harmonies  of  a  gorgeously  appointed 
praise,  —  from  the  purer  literature  of  old  England, 
embracing  the  tender  and  earnest  numbers  of  South- 
well, and  Crashaw,  and  Habington,  and  a  multitude  of 
better  known  besides,  —  these  voices  of  faith  are 
reverently  gathered  into  their  perfect  harmony." 

In  May,  1856,  "  Sermons  for  the  People  "  appeared, 
the  first  bound  volume  of  printed  discourses  which 
Professor  Huntington  published.  The  introduction 
contains  a  tribute  to  the  South  Congregational  Society, 
for  whom  most  of  them  were  written,  "a  people  that 
must  always  be  to  me,  in  a  signification  that  stands 
alone.  The  People,  —  a  people  that  I  tried  for  thirteen 
years  to  help,  whose  harmony,  energy  and  fidelity,  made 
my  work  delightful,  and  whose  constant  kindness  I  can- 
not repay,  save  by  these  unworthy  acknowledgments, 
and  by  an  attachment  that  will  never  be  changed." 

Of  the  sermons  written  for  special  occasions  are 
several  delivered  before  meetings  of  ministers ;  one  at 
the  Meadville  Theological  School;  one  to  the  Bos- 
ton Young  Men's  Christian  Union;  one  on  "National 


A    NEW   PATH  141 

Retribution  and  the  National  Sin,"  of  which  a  note  says 
that  "it  was  preached  on  Fast  Day,  1851,  soon  after 
the  passage,  in  Congress,  of  the  bill  known  as  the 
Fugitive  Slave  Law."  Those  who  found  in  the  later 
writings  of  the  bishop  of  Central  New  York  utterances 
on  public  matters  which  were  attributed  to  the  pes- 
simistic spirit  of  old  age,  may  read  in  the  stern  ar- 
raignments of  the  young  minister,  at  a  time  of  intensely 
heated  public  feeling,  the  same  unsparing  rebukes  to 
a  community  truckling  with  greed  and  oppression. 
"We  may  build  barricades  for  our  prison-houses,  and 
plant  guns  and  staves  and  chains  about  our  victims; 
we  may  stigmatize  or  crucify  the  prophets  that  tell  us 
the  truth;  we  may  rejoice  in  every  fresh  success  of 
cruel  usurpations  over  human  freedom ;  but  we  cannot 
thereby  stay  the  advancing  steps  of  retribution,  we 
cannot,  by  police  or  militia,  by  conventions  or  statute- 
books,  by  certificates  of  bondage  or  judicial  forms, 
press  down  behind  the  eastern  horizon  that  ascending 
sun  which  shall  bring  in  the  day  of  our  judgment." 

Most  of  the  readings  were  intended  for  private 
devotional  use,  and  the  large  sale  of  the  book,  its 
multiplied  editions  and  circulation  among  different 
classes  of  believing  Christians,  testify  to  the  permanent 
place  it  gained  in  the  hearts  of  the  people.  Of  signifi- 
cance is  a  plea  made  in  one  discourse,  for  the  better 
social  and  economic  position  of  woman,  on  the  ground 
that  a  fair  and  equal  chance  for  the  development  of 
her  powers  had  not  been  afforded  her  in  the  past.  This 
was  just  at  the  period  when  a  complaint  was  making 
itself  heard  from  the  platform,  often  exciting  strong 
prejudice  against  those  who  had  the  courage  to  speak 
lor  their  sisters. 


142  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

The  sermon  on  "  The  Christian  Woman  "  has  cheered 
and  strengthened  many,  young  and  old,  through  its 
rare  sympathy,  while  it  holds  up  a  pattern  of  com- 
plete womanhood  in  its  beautiful  delineation  of  con- 
secrated service. 

A  discriminating  critic  said  of  the  whole  volume 
after  its  writer  had  passed  away :  — 

*'  Some  of  his  later  publications  may  have  contained 
riper  thoughts,  but  probably  no  one  of  them  enjoyed 
so  wide  a  circulation.  The  charm  of  these  sermons, 
as,  indeed,  of  all  the  sermons  that  he  ever  put  into 
print,  lay  in  a  certain  subtle  interweaving  of  the  prac- 
tical and  the  homely  with  the  idealistic  and  the  imagi- 
native. Always  eloquent,  but  never  turgid;  weighty 
without  ponderosity  ;  effective  while  leaving  no  im- 
pression that  the  preacher  had  been  straining  after 
effect,  —  these  sermons  justified  their  title,  and 
not  only  reached  'the  people,'  but  did  the  people 
good."  ^ 

The  eight  lectures  delivered  at  the  Graham  Institute 
in  Brooklyn  and  at  the  Lowell  Institute  in  Boston  were 
published  in  1859  under  the  title,  "  Divine  Aspects  of 
Human  Society."  Thirty  years  later  this  book,  which 
had  been  widely  read,  was  reprinted.  It  is  noteworthy 
that  at  the  time  of  its  first  appearance,  social  subjects 
received  so  little  attention  that  they  w^ere  neither  dig- 
nified by  scientific  treatment  or  included  in  courses  of 
academic  learning.  When  Lord  Elgin  wrote  to  the 
Hon.  Edward  Everett  requesting  the  titles  of  American 
publications  on  social  reform,  the  latter  finding  him- 
self unable  to  furnish  any  such  list,  notwithstanding 
his  wide  acquaintance  with  literature,  applied  to  the 
^  Rev.  W.  R.  Huntington  :  Memorial  Sermon. 


A    NEW    PATH  143 

Plummer  professor  at  Harvard  as  the  only  man  likely 
to  give  the  desired  information. 

A  teacher  of  ethics,  with  a  strong  love  for  humanity, 
Professor  Huntington  was  an  earnest  student  of  history 
and  of  social  progress.  Thinking  minds  of  that  gener- 
ation had  become  familiar  with  communistic  theories 
through  the  experiments  made  by  the  disciples  of 
Fourier  and  Robert  Owen,  while  from  across  the  water 
came  echoes  of  that  sympathy  with  the  Chartist  move- 
ment expressed  by  Frederic  Maurice  and  Charles 
Kingsley.  Mrs.  Browning's  hero  in  "Aurora  Leigh" 
was  described  as  "elbow  deep  in  social  problems." 
The  large  and  intelligent  audiences,  who  at  that  time 
listened  to  public  lectures,  gave  eager  attention  to 
Professor  Huntington's  exposition  of  the  Christian 
basis  of  relations  between  man  and  his  fellows,  of 
mutual  help  as  a  divine  appointment,  of  the  law 
of  advancement,  of  the  sphere  of  Christ's  kingdom 
upon  earth.  In  after  years  the  lofty  conceptions  of  the 
university  professor  entered  into  realization  when,  as 
a  leader  of  men,  his  influence  was  given  to  movements 
for  the  advancement  of  the  interests  of  labor,  for  the 
reclaiming  of  the  criminal,  for  the  education  of  the 
Indian  and  of  the  colored  race,  for  equal  political 
and  industrial  conditions. 

In  the  midst  of  the  many  calls  and  distractions  of  the 
Boston  and  Cambridge  life  the  Hadley  home  never 
lost  its  hold  upon  Professor  Huntington,  and  he  fre- 
quently found  a  few  days'  leisure  to  spend  with  his 
brother  and  sister  and  their  aged  father. 

In  1857  Rev.  Dan  Huntington  printed  for  his  de- 
scendants a  series  of  reminiscences  under  the  title  of 
"  Memories,   Counsels  and  Reflections  by  an  Octoge- 


144  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

nary."  His  youngest  son  gave  his  personal  attention 
to  the  pubHcation,  having  himself  a  strong  interest 
in  the  preservation  of  family  tradition  and  in  the  ties  of 
kinship.  His  pride  in  the  place  of  his  birth  and  strong 
affection  for  it  are  expressed  in  the  oration  he  was 
asked  to  deliver  at  the  bi-centennial  of  the  town  of 
Hadley,  held  in  June,  1859.  In  this  address  he  de- 
scribes in  vivid  portrayal  the  events  which  led  to  the 
founding  of  the  town,  its  early  history,  the  period  of 
the  Indian  wars,  the  concealment  of  the  regicides  in 
the  old  parsonage,  the  educational  development  of 
Hopkins  Academy,  the  lives  of  those  who  "governed 
the  flock,"  in  the  words  of  the  epitaph  on  the  tomb  of 
the  first  minister,  John  Russell.  He  closed  with  a  touch- 
ing allusion  to  the  village  cemetery,  making  an  appeal 
for  its  pious  care  and  more  attractive  preservation. 

"It  is  right  that  our  long  review  of  the  generations 
of  the  living  should  halt  here  where  every  generation 
and  every  procession  halts  at  last.  Through  the  gate- 
way of  mortality  every  review  must  pass.  There  every 
history  must  be  sifted.  A  hundred  years  hence,  how 
many  coming  after  us  will  have  entered!  To  those 
who  shall  gather  to  celebrate  the  third  centennial, 
what  strange  and  quaint  antiquities  the  surviving 
specimens  of  our  customs  and  fashions  and  dwellings 
and  forms  of  speech  will  be.  But  this  we  know:  and 
let  this  be  our  consolation :  humanity,  duty,  character, 
goodness,  truth,  freedom,  faith,  hope,  charity,  will 
all  be  unchanged  —  keeping  their  loveliness  and 
majesty  forever." 

Always  ready  in  after-dinner  speechmaking,  and 
admirable  in  anecdote.  Dr.  Huntington  never  per- 
mitted his  gift  for  pleasantry  to  lead  him  into  the 


A    NEW   PATH  145 

excesses  of  an  habitual  story-teller.  On  this  occasion 
at  Hadley,  the  banquet  which  closed  the  day  called 
forth  one  of  his  most  genial  moods.  He  was  surrounded 
by  the  familiar  faces  of  his  townsfolk,  and  by  distin- 
guished guests,  a  goodly  company  gathered  to  do 
honor  to  the  historic  town.  The  toast  to  the  orator 
of  the  day  seems  prophetic,  in  the  light  of  subsequent 
years:  "May  his  active  life  find  solace  and  vigor,  and 
may  his  age  reap  the  fruits  of  serenity  and  peace, 
amid  the  placid  retirements  of  his  native  Elm  Valley." 

His  concern  for  the  community  was,  however,  far 
deeper  than  the  interest  stirred  by  a  passing  pageant 
or  any  exchange  of  felicitations.  In  the  spring  of  1859, 
after  a  few  days  at  the  old  homestead,  he  wrote :  — 

"  All  the  incidents  of  my  little  visit  were  pleasant  and 
satisfactory,  and  are  agreeable  to  recall.  The  points 
that  occur  to  me  as  causes  for  special  gratification 
were  the  signs  of  comfort  and  peace  in  the  old  house, 
and  father's  evident  health.  The  tea  at  Major  Syl- 
vester's was  a  pleasant  episode.  I  ought  also  to  men- 
tion, as  a  reason  for  honest  and  general  thankfulness, 
that  so  many  of  you  are  finding  a  sympathy  and  enjoy- 
ment in  the  religious  opportunities  of  your  own  neigh- 
borhood. I  hope  nothing  will  occur  to  arrest  that 
tendency  or  to  disturb  the  more  liberal  and  spiritually 
earnest  state  of  things  growing  up  in  the  town.  If  so, 
the  past  —  or  all  that  was  wrong  or  painful  in  it  — 
may  best  afford  to  be  forgotten." 

At  this  time  the  family  at  Elm  Valley  were  wor- 
shiping with  the  Russell  Church  in  Hadley,  under  a 
Congregational  minister  whose  pastorate  was  in  every 
way  acceptable.  In  response  to  an  invitation  to  de- 
liver a  lecture  in  their  meeting-house.  Professor  Hunt- 


146  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

ington  wrote,  March  18,  1859:  "There  is  no  pros- 
pect that  my  duties  will  allow  me  to  go  to  Had  ley 
before  the  celebration.  I  would  a  little  rather  also, 
all  the  past  considered,  that  my  first  acceptance  of  a 
ministerial  invitation  to  appear  in  public  in  Old  Hadley 
should  be  strictly  in  the  line  of  the  ministerial  office. 
If  the  good  old  sound  orthodoxy  of  the  Front  Street 
keep  going  on  in  the  last  of  the  three  apostolic  graces 
a  while  longer,  as  fast  as  it  has  for  the  year  past,  and 
if  I  should  continue  growing  in  favor,  on  the  other 
hand,  with  the  Israel  of  the  faith,  perhaps  the  two 
parties — they  and  I  —  may  meet.  In  that  case,  it  is 
only  to  be  hoped  we  should  not  pass  each  other  with- 
out a  recognition." 

Each  summer  Professor  Huntington  took  his  wife 
and  children  back  to  the  old  home,  so  that  the  earliest 
memories  of  the  little  ones  were  associated  with  it. 
After  such  a  sojourn  he  wrote  in  July,  1859,  to  his  sister : 
"  We  have  to  content  ourselves  with  happy  memories 
and  sweet  thoughts  of  your  green  meadows  and  still 
waters,  —  not  unmixed  with  deep  desires  and  prayers 
for  the  peace  and  w^elfare  of  you  all.  May  God  answer 
them  and  bless  you." 

The  family  life  in  the  Cambridge  home  was  a 
delightful  one.  The  parents  were  not  too  absorbed 
in  outside  interests  to  give  time  and  sympathy  and 
companionship  to  their  children.  The  older  ones  re- 
ceived every  advantage  of  schooling  which  the  period 
afforded,  with  private  instruction  in  drawing  and 
French.  As  a  boy  in  the  old  country  home  their  father 
had  been  taught  to  find  his  chief  pleasure  in  reading, 
and  he  supplied  his  own  household  with  the  best  books, 
often  selecting  for  them  some  volume  suited  to  their 


A    NEW    PATH  147 

special  tastes.  From  earliest  childhood  they  became 
familiar  with  beautiful  verse,  listening  to  him  while  he 
read  aloud  his  favorite  poems,  with  an  exquisite  ex- 
pression and  sympathetic  rendering  rarely  excelled. 
He  taught  them  to  learn  hymns  as  soon  as  they  could 
read,  and  took  a  stronc:  interest  in  the  selections  for 
their  school  recitation.  His  gift  to  his  eldest  daughter 
on  her  tenth  birthday  was  a  copy  of  Keble's  "  Christian 
Year,"  a  work  already  familiar  on  his  study-table. 
All  literary  enjoyment  was  so  ardently  shared  by  the 
head  of  the  family  with  the  home  circle,  that  a  culti- 
vated taste  was  naturally  developed  which  excluded 
attractions  less  elevated  and  refined.  Out-of-door 
pursuits  and  healthy  activities  were  equally  encouraged. 
It  was  a  happy  event  when  the  busy  professor  could 
take  the  children  for  a  skating  expedition  or  a  sleigh- 
ride,  and  such  delights  were  eagerly  anticipated,  with 
occasional  drives  through  the  lovely  country  which 
then  stretched  unbroken  on  the  confines  of  Cambridge. 
The  freedom  of  suburban  residence  permitted  the 
possession  of  live  creatures,  a  luxury  not  suited  to 
city  life  but  which  was  a  feature  of  these  earlier  days. 
No  road  was  too  long  for  the  energetic  and  hardy 
frame  of  the  professor,  if  he  had  a  good  horse  and  the 
reins  in  his  own  hands,  and  many  an  engagement  for 
preaching  or  lectures  was  kept  through  a  drive  across 
the  state;  while  his  favorite  companion  was  a  fine 
dog  gamboling  before  him  on  a  walk,  or  curled  up  by 
the  side  of  his  study  chair.  There  was  much  rejoicing 
in  November,  1859,  when  a  second  daughter  was  born. 
The  youngest  child,  Jamie,  was  five  years  old  and  a 
universal  favorite,  having  an  unusually  winning  and 
social  disposition.      His  father  writes  that  the  only 


148  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON      * 

consciousness  he  showed  of  being  dispossessed  from 
the  position  he  had  occupied  in  the  household  was 
"when  the  baby  was  getting  the  attention  and  admi- 
ration of  the  whole  room,  he  drew  up  very  soberly  to 
his  mother's  side,  and  said  to  her  in  a  low  voice, 
*  Mamma,  do  you  like  me  ? ' " 

Cambridge,  Nov.  20,  1859. 
To  Miss  Bethia  Huntington. 

Dear  Sister:  —  This  is  Thanksgiving  week.  Cold 
and  small  must  any  of  our  hearts  be  that  do  not  find 
abundant  cause  for  cordial  praise.  In  our  own  family 
in  its  different  branches,  how  many  cases  of  mercy, 
healing,  deliverance,  protection,  bounty;  new  lives 
given  and  old  lives  spared,  —  plenty  and  affection 
for  all,  and  for  all  the  immortal  hopes  of  the  Gospel 
of  salvation.  As  we  have  no  service  in  the  Chapel  that 
day,  I  preached  my  Thanksgiving  sermon  this  morn- 
ing, from  the  text,  "Who  layeth  the  beams  of  his 
chambers  in  the  w^aters."  God's  steadfastness  amidst 
man's  fluctuations;  illustrated  in  the  outward  world, 
in  society,  history,  institutions,  affairs  of  religion,  — 
with  three  duties  inferred  :  gratitude,  trust,  loyalty, 
with  their  three  expressions,  —  thanksgiving,  prayer, 
obedience.  The  whole  psalm  (104th)  is  one  of  the 
sublimest.  Herder  thinks  that  Milton  borrowed  from 
it  the  inspiration  of  the  morning  hymn  of  Adam  in 
Paradise. 

CajMbridge,  Dec.  25,  1859. 

To  Miss  Bethia  Huntington. 

Dear  Sister:  —  To-morrow  I  intend  to  send  a 
package  of  books  by  express.  I  hope  all  of  you  whose 
names  are  written  in  them  will  accept  them  as  a  de- 


A    NEW    PATH  149 

signed  and  cordial  gift.  It  has  all  along  been  my  in- 
tention to  give  them,  and  the  lectures  have  been 
kept  back  only  to  go  in  the  same  bundle  with  the 
sermons.  The  two  volumes  together  may  be  said  to 
have  pressed  into  them,  and  expressed  through  them, 
the  greatest  amount  of  my  inner  life  and  thought  for 
the  last  three  years.  God  knows  how  earnestly  I  have 
prayed  that  they  might  do  good  and  not  evil;  that 
their  error  might  be  overruled  and  their  truth  accepted, 
and  our  Blessed  Lord's  honor  and  cause  be  in  some 
way  and  measure  advanced  hj  them. 

Yesterday  was  a  day  full  of  sacred  interest  to  us. 
Some  of  the  Roxbury  relations  were  with  us,  and  a  few 
intimate  friends  coming  in,  the  holy  ordinance  of 
baptism  was  administered  upon  our  dear  little  Ruth 
Gregson,  —  a  domestic  service,  in  our  parlor  at  four 
o'clock.  The  Chapel  has  hardly  become  enough  like 
a  church  to  us  to  lead  us  there.  Join  your  prayers  with 
ours,  that  the  new  and  precious  life  thus  brought  into 
the  living  body  of  the  church  on  earth  may  also  be 
made  a  member  of  the  invisible  and  eternal  church 
which  is  one  on  earth  and  in  Heaven. 

Scarcely  had  this  service  ended  when  we  went  to  our 
public  Christmas  Eve  worship  in  the  Chapel,  at  five 
o'clock.  The  interior  had  been  beautifully  dressed 
with  evergreens,  —  including  cross  and  star,  and  the 
inscriptions  on  the  college  seals,  on  opposite  walls 
in  evergreen  letters:  "Veritas"  and  "  Christo  et  Ec- 
clesise."  The  building  was  full  of  people,  and  the 
exercises  seemed  very  reverential  and  impressive. 
They  were  liturgical,  much  like  our  usual  afternoon 
worship,  only  adapted  to  the  Saviour's  birth-night. 
The  music  by  the  students  was  solemn  and  touching. 


150  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

This  seemed  a  fit  mode  of  ushering  in  the  festivities 
and  joys  of  the  season.  We  then  returned  home,  and 
the  children  distributed  their  presents  with  the  usual 
good  cheer.  After  the  house  had  become  still,  about 
half  past  ten  o'clock,  as  I  was  sitting  in  the  study 
preparing  for  the  holy  duties  of  to-day,  suddenly  most 
delightful  music,  in  youthful  voices,  broke  out  under 
my  window.  I  raised  the  curtain,  and  there  stood  a 
picturesque  group  of  singers,  mostly  young  boys, 
muffled  in  cloaks  and  shawls,  with  lanterns,  under 
the  sparkling  stars  in  the  frosty  night  air,  pouring  out 
Christmas  carols,  —  genuine  old  English  carols,  — 
in  music  and  w^ords  wholly  peculiar,  and  beautiful 
exceedingly.  At  first  I  was  puzzled  to  make  them  out. 
I  noticed  that  whenever  they  spoke  the  name  of  Jesus 
they  bowed  the  head.  Altogether  the  effect  was  re- 
markable, —  as  if  I  had  been  transported  back  into 
the  ages  of  old  romance  and  faith.  On  going  out  to 
ask  the  strangers  in,  they  greeted  me  with  a  "  Happy 
Christmas."  They  proved  to  be  the  choir  of  the  Epis- 
copal "Church  of  the  Advent"  in  Boston,  whom  one 
of  our  neighbors  worshiping  there  had  brought  out  to 
his  house  here,  where  I  presently  joined  them.  It  was 
an  old-country  church  custom  for  these  companies, 
called  "  waits, "  to  carol  in  this  way,  on  Nativity  night, 
under  the  rector's  window.  You  know  the  pathetic 
and  moving  character  of  the  music-voices  of  boys* 
This  formed  a  charming  conclusion  to  the  day. 

In  another  letter  referring  to  this  event  he  says :  "  It 
was  as  if  something  from  Bethlehem  and  Fatherland 
had  blended  graciously,  and  floated  down  through  the 
starlit  and  frosty  air  to  our  door." 


A    NEW    PATH  151 

Cambridge,  Jan.  1,  1860. 

Dear  Sister  Bethia  :  —  With  all  my  heart,  as  the 
sun  of  the  first  day  of  the  New  Year  goes  down,  in  the 
stillness  that  rests  upon  the  pure  white  earth,  amidst 
the  Sabbath  feeling  always  deeper  at  this  hour,  let  me 
offer,  before  you  and  our  dear  father,  the  fervent  and 
devout  wish  that  this  year  may  be  happy,  and  good, 
and  crowned  with  heavenly  blessings,  to  you  both, 
from  the  beginning  to  the  end.  May  you  be  blessed  in 
basket  and  store,  in  body  and  soul,  in  affection  and 
faith,  in  the  joys  of  this  life,  in  "  the  means  of  grace, 
and  the  hope  of  glory."  We  have  just  come  in  from  our 
afternoon  service,  where  we  sang  old  "  Benevento," 
and  read  the  gracious  103d  Psalm.  The  text  this 
morning  was  from  the  Parable  of  the  Tares;  the  ser- 
vant's mistake  and  sin  in  not  using  his  one  talent. 

You  remember  mother's  interest  in  peace.  This 
gave  me  interest  in  giving  an  address  last  Monday, 
before  a  Peace  Society  in  Providence,  in  connection 
with  Christmas.  Our  term  ends  two  weeks  from  next 
Wednesday.  I  hope  to  see  you  all,  the  last  week  in  the 
month. 

With  steadfast  affection  yours, 

F.  D.  H. 

The  sun  of  the  second  Sabbath  of  the  year  has  gone 
down  in  a  flood  of  silent  glory  and  as  his  beams  have 
gradually  faded  away,  the  splendor  of  the  moon  has 
filled  their  place.  It  is  a  perfect  night,  after  a  day 
perfect  in  its  kind,  but  very  warm  for  the  season.  I 
wish  you  could  look  in  upon  us  and  spend  the  evening, 
at  least.  W^e  have  fitted  up  the  back  parlor  and  now 
take  tea  here.  Among  several  new  pictures  in  the  room 
is  one  just  given  to  Arria,  —  a  large  and  handsome 


152  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

engraving  of  Raphael's  "Transfiguration."  I  have 
been  reading  aloud  to  Jamie,  who  shows  great  sensi- 
bility, dear  child,  to  spiritual  impressions.  He  has 
learned,  of  his  own  accord,  "  the  Apostles'  Creed  "  and 
repeats  it  with  us  when  w^e  say  it,  as  well  as  the  Lord's 
Prayer.  Little  Ruth,  who  has  learned  to  smile  in  our 
faces,  is  upstairs  asleep.   George  is  busy  with  his  books. 


CHAPTER   V 


SPIRITUAL   CONFLICT 


'*  This  is  a  valley  that  nobody  walks  in  but  those  that  love  a  pilgrim's 
life  ;  yet  I  must  tell  you  that  in  former  times  men  have  met  angels 
here." 

From  the  preceding  chapter  it  may  be  seen  that  the 
years  between  1855  and  1860,  the  term  of  Professor 
Huntington's  residence  at  Harvard  University,  were 
filled  with  interests  and  activities  thoroughly  congenial 
to  his  tastes  and  aspirations.  As  a  teacher  he  was 
brought  in  contact  with  the  minds  of  bright  and  eager 
youth;  as  a  preacher  he  counted  among  his  hearers 
men  of  intellect  and  reputation;  he  addressed  large 
and  cultivated  audiences  from  the  lecture-platform; 
found  wide  opportunity  for  religious  influence  through 
the  press  and  in  his  published  writings;  mingled  with 
society  under  its  most  engaging  aspects;  lent  his  aid 
to  movements  of  widespread  beneficence.  From  first 
to  last,  his  own  denomination  conferred  upon  him 
almost  every  distinction  which  official  station  and 
appointments  for  ceremonies  and  celebrations  could 
afford;  in  representative  gatherings  of  charities,  agri- 
cultural societies,  library  associations,  commencement 
occasions  of  nearly  every  New  England  college,  his 
words  were  listened  to  with  sympathy  and  appreciation. 
And  yet  this  entire  period  was  one  of  intense  anxiety, 
of  great  mental  strain  and  spiritual  distress. 


154  FREDERIC   DAN   HUNTINGTON 

He  said  of  himself  that  his  sufferings  sometimes 
amounted  to  agony,  in  uncertainty  as  to  the  Divine 
will,  in  conflicting  views  as  to  the  demands  of  con- 
science, in  the  prospect  of  breaking  precious  ties,  in  a 
renunciation  of  much  that  he  held  dear.  Alone  in  the 
struggle  he  was  "thrown  upon  God  in  solemn  soli- 
tude." 

The  first  direct  step  which  he  took  to  free  himself 
from  any  trammels  as  to  expression  of  opinion  was 
in  1856  when  he  added  to  the  title  of  the  "Monthly 
Religious  Magazine,"  of  which  he  occupied  the  edi- 
torial chair,  the  name  "Independent  Journal,"  with 
an  explanation,  to  which  he  thus  refers  in  the  following 
number.  "  Denominations,  nowadays,  strangely  over- 
lap each  other,  and  get  mixed.  To  be  clear  of  all 
sects  is  not  to  stand  between  any  two,  nor  to  court 
the  favor  of  any.  Our  own  aversion  to  the  Unitarian 
name,  and  our  desire  to  be  independent  of  it,  arises 
partly  from  a  belief  that  that  term  is  not  a  descrip- 
tion of  our  religious  convictions  on  several  import- 
ant points,  and  partly  from  a  settled  distrust  of  the 
general  influence  of  the  sectarian  measures  it  covers, 
rather  than  from  any  want  of  friendship  for  its  men, 
or  of  appreciation  of  its  freedom."  In  these  same 
spring  months  the  columns  of  the  periodical  were 
opened  to  an  article  on  "  The  Relation  of  the  Atone- 
ment to  Hohness,"  from  the  "  New  Englander,"  by 
the  Rev.  S.  W.  S.  Dutton;  a  letter  on  the  same 
subject  by  Rev.  E.  B.  Hall,  D.  D.,  with  remarks;  a 
reply  by  Rev.  Mr.  Dutton,  and  a  second  letter  from 
Dr.  Hall.  In  introducing  the  first,  by  a  conspicuous 
clergyman  of  the  Orthodox  Congregational  Church  in 
New  Haven,  already  on  fraternal  terms  with  Professor 


SPIRITUAL    CONFLICT  155 

Huntington,  the  latter  states  that  "  it  is  a  reprint  entire 
of  the  '  Concio  ad  Clerum '  dehvered  before  the  Gen- 
eral Association  of  Connecticut  last  July.  It  must 
be  borne  in  mind  that  it  received  the  evident  and 
full  approbation  of  that  rather  orthodox  body ;  though 
we  are  aware  that  to  mention  that  circumstance  will 
prejudice  its  reception  with  some  persons  whose  lib- 
erality is  rather  in  name  than  in  reality.  Others  will  not 
fail  to  be  nourished  by  the  truths  it  so  fervently  pro- 
claims, finding  something  there  that  meets  their  hearts, 
and  gratified  by  the  encouragement  it  gives  to  the  hope 
that  clear  and  consistent  statements  shall  yet  be  found 
for  vital  theological  doctrines  in  which  earnest  be- 
lievers can  agree." 

In  response  to  Dr.  Button's  arguments.  Dr.  Hall,  a 
Unitarian  minister  of  age  and  learning,  asked  in  his 
communication  for  Scriptural  proofs  of  the  doctrine. 
The  whole  controversy  is  reviewed  at  length  in  the 
quarterly  issue  of  the  "New  Englander,"  Congre- 
gational, for  May,  1856,  on  the  ground  that  "  Professor 
Huntington  occupies  a  public  position,  of  incalculable 
power  over  the  religious  convictions  of  the  American 
people.  Every  parent  who  is  desirous  of  educating 
his  boy  has  an  interest  in  ascertaining  the  nature  of 
that  religious  teaching  to  which  he  will  be  subjected 
in  the  oldest  and  wealthiest  university  of  our  land." 

An  extract  is  given  from  an  article  on  "  The  Divinity 
of  Christ "  published  in  the  "  Monthly  Religious  Maga- 
zine "for  May,  1851,  in  which  Professor  Huntington 
says:  "We  believe,  therefore,  we  cannot  but  believe, 
we  are  as  unable  as  we  are  undesirous  to  doubt,  that 
in  regard  to  that  deep,  wide  line  that  distinguishes  the 
Infinite  from  the  finite  and  the  Divine  from  the  human, 


156  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

Christ  the  Redeemer  does  not  stand  by  his  nature  on  the 
human  side.  We  discover  no  way  in  which  an  estranged, 
lost  family  on  earth,  not  knowing  God  by  all  its  wis- 
dom, and  condemned  by  a  law  which  it  had  not  power 
or  will  to  keep,  could  be  raised,  restored,  and  justified, 
but  by  one  who  should  bring  the  Deity  to  the  earth, 
while  he  hfts  up  man  towards  Deity.  The  Redeemer 
must  make  God  manifest  in  the  flesh,  mediate  between 
heaven  and  humanity,  show  us  the  Father  to  move 
and  melt  the  child." 

The  writer  in  the  *'  New  Englander  "  goes  on  to  say 
of  the  passages  quoted,  that  although  'the  animus 
of  the  entire  production  cannot  be  apparent  as  in 
the  eloquent  whole,  these  few  blossoms  will  show  the 
nature  of  the  mind  whose  fruit  was  then  but  forming, 
and  which  we  trust  may  long  continue  to  ripen  rich 
earthly  harvests,  before  transplanted  to  the  Paradise 
of  God  and  of  the  Lamb." 

It  is  significant  that  while  Professor  Huntington 
closes  the  discussion  in  his  "  Monthly"  with  an  ap- 
peal to  the  Unitarian  denomination  to  enter  upon  fresh 
studies  of  the  life  of  Christ,  "and  to  reach  beyond 
the  old  standards  for  views  which  promise  a  pro- 
founder  peace  to  the  heart,"  the  reviewer  proceeds 
w^ith  an  inquiry  whether  such  a  candid  exposition  of 
belief  w^ould  entitle  its  exponent  to  be  received  into 
the  orthodox  fellowship.  "  He  has  in  a  manful  spirit 
addressed  his  old  companions  by  a  free  and  frank 
avowal  of  disagreement  with  their  opinions.  He  does 
not  ask  to  publish  in  our  periodicals  his  confession  of 
faith;  but  he  publishes  our  confession  in  his  own 
monthly,  for  the  benefit  of  his  Unitarian  friends,  and 
explains  and  defends  its  principles.     Has  he  not  the 


SPIRITUAL    CONFLICT  157 

same  claim  on  our  sympathy  and  recognition,  which 
those  fathers  of  our  churches  had,  who  left  their  own 
communion  at  the  commencement  of  the  present  cen- 
tury and  sundered  their  ancient  associations  at  the 
expense  of  personal  ease  and  consideration  ?  Let  any 
one  who  wishes  to  be  informed  of  the  parallel,  peruse 
the  strictures  on  Professor  H.  in  the  Unitarian  papers, 
or  read  his  remarks  on  the  discussion.  Moreover,  he  is 
coming  forth  from  his  childhood's  faith,  and  from  all 
his  earlier  habits  of  religious  belief;  while  those  with 
whom  we  have  compared  him  only  separated  from  their 
friends  and  teachers  because  the  latter  avowed  doc- 
trines which  they  had  not  imagined  them  to  hold,  — 
doctrines  which  were  directly  at  variance  with  the 
public  confession  of  the  churches  where  they  min- 
istered. Ought  not  the  memory  of  that  severe  trial  to 
quicken  the  generous  yearning  for  a  mind  that  is  strug- 
gling to  obtain  the  truth,  and  brave  enough  to  accept 
and  avow  it  wherever  discerned  ?  " 

It  will  be  seen  by  this  open  vindication  in  a  periodi- 
cal which  circulated  extensively  through  New  England, 
that  the  position  of  Professor  Huntington  in  the  reli- 
gious world  was  a  subject  of  wide  interest.  He  had 
neither  concealed  the  differences  of  belief  which 
separated  him  from  his  brethren  nor  had  he  gloried 
in  them. 

His  withdrawal  from  the  "Monthly  Religious 
Magazine"  in  December,  1858,  was  due  to  a  desire 
for  relief  from  "fourteen  years  of  editorial  work  and 
time  for  other  studies.  Considering  the  mutabilities 
of  modern  journalism,  this  is  long  enough  to  establish 
a  respectable  reputation  for  constancy.  Considering 
all  things,  it  is  long  enough  for  edification. 


158  FREDERIC   DAN   HUNTINGTON 

"  In  the  confidence  that  the  future  progress  and  pro- 
sperity of  the  church  depend  on  a  nobler  catholicity, 
a  more  simple  and  direct  communion  between  the 
believer  and  the  person  and  the  heart  of  Christ,  we 
have  striven  hard  not  to  speak  of  any  religious  organi- 
zation, or  any  earnest  disciple,  with  bitterness.  But 
he  must  be  a  slight  observer  of  the  mysteries  of  his  own 
nature,  who  does  not  know  that  these  biases  creep 
upon  us  in  unsuspected  signs.  We  are  not  unwilling 
to  acknowledge  that  we  have  printed  some  words, 
under  what  now  seems  a  mistaken  impression  of  duty, 
which  we  would  gladly  blot  out.  For  all  needless  of- 
fenses, against  men  or  bodies  of  men,  we  sincerely 
declare  our  shame,  and  ask  forgiveness. 

*' No  attempt  has  been  made  to  turn  this  journal  into 
a  vehicle  of  the  editor's  theological  behef .  We  have  not 
been  anxious  that  a  complete  creed,  not  even  that  our 
own  creed,  should  be  gathered  from  its  pages.  On 
many  points,  and  those  not  the  least  vital  to  Christian- 
ity, regarded  as  a  body  of  truth  addressed  to  the  mind, 
our  views  have  undergone  serious  modifications  since 
we  slipped,  half  accidentally,  into  this  editorial  chair." 

Many  years  afterwards  Bishop  Huntington  wrote  out 
the  history  of  his  religious  experience  during  those 
years  of  unrest.  We  have  already  given  his  estimate 
from  the  point  of  view  of  later  life,  of  the  Transcen- 
dental Movement.  He  had  felt  with  other  minds  of  his 
generation,  the  quickening  influence  of  philosophic 
idealism.  Speaking  of  himself  in  the  third  person  he 
goes  on  to  say :  — 

"  It  appeared  to  H.  that  beneath  the  shif tings  on  the 
current  of  speculation  there  was  a  change  at  work  in 
the  whole  doctrinal  basis  of  the  denomination  to  which 


SPIRITUAL    CONFLICT  159 

he  had  belonged.  Doubtless  that  the  jejune  self-inter- 
ested moralizing  of  the  Priestley  and  English  Socinian 
school  should  be  spiritualized  by  a  lofty  appeal  to  con- 
sciousness and  insight  under  a  direct  power  of  the  spirit 
of  God,  was  an  immeasurable  gain.  St.  Paul  proclaimed 
an  eternal  law  when  he  wrote,  *  Spiritual  things  are 
spiritually  discerned.'  But  Christianity  is  a  revelation. 
Of  that  revelation  there  is  a  record.  Its  credentials,  its 
history,  the  general  and  reverential  consent  of  eighteen 
Christian  centuries,  its  marvelous  power  over  civilized 
peoples,  hardly  less  than  miraculous,  invest  it  with 
tremendous  sanctions.  There  is  no  trace  of  anything 
like  Christian  culture  apart  from  its  authority.  In  open 
questions  it  has  been  what  there  must  be,  a  court  of 
ultimate  appeal.  Hitherto  H.  had  seen  it  so  held,  as 
well  in  his  own  as  in  other  Protestant  bodies.  Through- 
out the  Unitarian  and  Trinitarian  polemics  that  ap- 
peal had  been  made  with  confidence  on  both  sides  alike. 
The  main  question  was :  What  do  the  scriptures  teach 
and  mean.?  It  was  a  question  of  interpretation  of 
documents,  hardly  a  question  whether  the  documents 
were  authentic  and  binding.  ...  In  the  short  space  of 
twenty  years  the  Unitarian  press  and  pulpit  virtually 
ceased  to  make  a  stand  on  the  foundation  which  had 
been  known  as  the  Word  of  God.  .  .  . 

*'  Broad  room  was  opened  for  more  extensive  relaxa- 
tions. Individual  independence  is  a  rapid  but  bold 
rider,  and  drives  with  loose  reins.  Institutional  Chris- 
tianity began  to  be  regarded  more  as  a  superstition 
than  as  a  safeguard  or  an  obligation.  Ordinances  were 
optional.  All  beliefs  were  elective.  Sacraments  were 
not  sacraments,  except  in  figures  of  speech ;  they  might 
be  serviceable  or  not.  .  .  .  Any  distinctive  divinity  in 


160  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

Christ,  the  personaUty  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  a  sacrificial 
redemption,  a  permanent  and  hereditary  disease  of  sin 
in  human  nature  needing  such  redemption  by  a  sec- 
ond Adam  or  head  of  the  race,  were  emphatically  if  not 
passionately  rejected,  whether  as  facts  or  dogmas.  .  .  . 

*'  There  would  be  from  a  believing  past  and  from  many 
side  sources  of  God's  gracious  help,  high-toned  fam- 
ilies, pure  lives,  encouraging  and  enlightening  preach- 
ing, ardent  reformers;  but  it  is  diflScult  to  see  how 
practically  the  upshot  could  be  escaped  that  everybody 
is  to  do,  in  this  world  of  temptation,  error,  and  folly, 
what  is  right  in  his  own  eyes.  That  in  his  own  eyes 
right  would  always  be  right,  would,  in  that  case,  be 
nothing  more  than  a  charitable  hope." 

"  It  happened  that  H.  was  for  thirteen  years  engaged 
in  the  diversified  ministrations  of  a  prosperous  city 
congregation  mostly  gathered  within  that  period  of 
time,  acquiescing  in  Unitarian  views  and  plans,  sur- 
rounded by  attached  and  reasonable  parishioners, 
with  no  sort  of  external  obstruction.  If  he  remained 
ignorant  of  anything  doctrinal  or  practical,  anything 
of  public  policy  or  esoteric  consideration,  anything 
of  form  or  spirit,  anything  in  charities  or  aggressive 
enterprises,  belonging  to  his  denomination,  it  certainly 
was  not  for  want  of  opportunities  of  knowledge.  With 
the  ministers  of  that  denomination  he  enjoyed  with  a 
keen  relish  the  warmest  friendships.  On  occasions 
when  it  might  be  expected  he  advocated  and  defended 
orally  and  in  print  those  constructions  of  Scripture  in 
which  he  had  been  brought  up.  In  all  quarters  his 
treatment  by  his  brethren  was  in  the  amplest  degree 
generous  and  trustful.  Gradually,  however,  he  dis- 
covered that  what  he  was  most  heartily  and  anxiously 


SPIRITUAL    CONFLICT  161 

teaching  was  less  and  less  in  accordance  with  the  de- 
nominational spirit  and  form. 

''  When  set  to  speak  for  'the  cause '  he  did  it  with  a 
diminishing  zeal.  With  some  pain  he  became  aware 
that  he  was  oftener  in  a  vein  of  criticism  than  advocacy, 
and  that  he  probably  disappointed  his  audience  by 
unfavorable  comparisons  between  their  negations  and 
the  positive  creed  of  a  historical  church.  At  first  his 
endeavor  was  to  find  out  a  way  of  so  urging  the  truths 
of  Christ's  divine  nature  and  mediatorship,  the  neces- 
sity of  a  personal  relation  to  Him,  both  subjective  and 
sacramental,  and  the  inspiring  power  of  his  cross 
upon  character,  charities,  and  missions,  as  to  secure  a 
reception  of  these  truths  without  needless  opposition. 
Substantially  the  same  aim  and  line  were  followed  in 
a  service  of  five  years  in  the  chapel  of  Harvard  Col- 
lege as  an  'independent,'  to  which  he  was  invited 
by  President  Walker  and  the  fellows  and  overseers, 
partly  orthodox  and  partly  '  liberal,'  in  1855. 

"In  this  comparatively  tranquil  air  everything  was 
favorable  to  reading  and  thought,  to  a  free  comparison 
of  systems,  and  an  unprejudiced  survey  of  the  world 
outside.  Certain  editorial  and  other  public  engage- 
ments continued  for  some  time,  at  least,  a  nominal 
relation  to  the  body  to  which  he  owed  much  and  to 
which  he  must  always  be  grateful.  It  was  a  relation 
which,  in  spite  of  all  exertions  to  the  contrary,  his  own 
misgivings,  some  protests  from  his  former  associates, 
and  some  sharp  attacks  from  one  or  two  Congrega- 
tional newspapers,  rendered  irksome  and  at  last  in- 
tolerable. However  desirable  it  might  be  to  deliver 
one's  convictions  to  an  assembly  of  young  men  in  a 
leading  university,    to   patient    and   unremonstrating 


162  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

learned  faculty-men  and  their  families,  and  to  others 
with  them,  he  knew  there  must  be  a  limit  to  the  prose- 
cution of  that  design.  Looking  out  as  intelligently  as 
he  could,  he  thought  he  saw  the  disbelieving  and  dis- 
integrating tendencies  above-named  to  be  unchecked. 
He  asked  himself:  Is  there  anywhere  in  ecclesiastical 
annals  an  instance  of  so  swift  ^  plunge  downwards  in 
any  association  of  people  bearing  the  name  of  Christ, 
simply  losing  hold  of  the  central  fact  of  revelation  ?  He 
could  no  longer  be  content  with  a  kind  of  Christianity 
destitute  of  a  Christ  in  whom  is  all  the  fullness  and  power 
of  God,  without  an  inspired  charter,  without  the  law 
and  inheritance  and  corporate  energy  and  universal 
offer  of  the  gifts  and  graces  of  eternal  life  in  a  visible 
church.  .  .  . 

"At  no  time,  though  familiar  with  most  forms  of 
unbelief,  was  H.  either  pressed  or  allured  to  any  school 
of  avowed  skepticism.  Doubts  as  to  one  and  another 
article  of  the  faith,  he  had,  and  they  were  sometimes 
obstinate.  But  neither  the  course  of  the  world,  nor  the 
constitution  of  man,  neither  the  mysteries  of  revelation 
nor  those  of  Providence,  neither  what  a  scientific 
testimony  told  him  of  nature,  nor  what  nescience 
suggested  as  probable,  held  out  to  him  any  plausible 
disproof  that  God  lives,  cares  for  his  children,  and 
speaks  to  them."  ^ 

Cambridge,  Nov.  20,  1859. 
To  Miss  Bethia  Huntington. 

If  the  interest  taken  by  the  public  just  now  in  my 
behalf  awakens  any  new  interest  in  you  and  father,  I 
trust  it  will  not  be  an  interest  of  disturbance  or  pain. 
1  The  Forum.  June,  1886. 


SPIRITUAL    CONFLICT  163 

If  father  speaks  of  it,  tell  him  I  think  we  are  one  in  the 
substance  of  the  faith  now,  and  shall  see  eye  to  eye 
hereafter.  I  have  just  been  reading  over  his  printed 
creed,  in  his  book,  and  do  not  see  that  I  differ  from 
that.  We  are  not  in  danger  of  believing  too  much,  nor 
of  erring  fatally  if  we  cling  to  Christ,  to  the  Bible,  and 
the  mercy-seat.  My  external  relations  are  pleasant 
enough,  and  most  of  those  about  us,  though  naturally  a 
little  moved  by  the  startling  public  statements,  treat  us 
quite  liberally. 

In  a  few  words  of  retrospect  left  among  his  papers 
Bishop  Huntington  wrote:  "My  first  discontent  was 
with  the  denial  of  the  divinity  and  the  redemption 
of  our  Lord,  and  this  was  followed  by  a  gradually 
established  belief  in  the  Trinity  and  in  the  divine  or- 
ganization and  authority  of  the  church  apostolical 
and  primitive." 

The  acceptance  of  a  full  statement  of  the  Orthodox 
belief  was  slow.  On  Whitsunday,  1858,  Rev.  J.  I.  T. 
Coolidge,  pastor  of  the  Purchase  Street  Unitarian 
Church,  had  preached  a  sermon  in  which,  as  he  pre- 
pared it,  he  wrote  down,  almost  unconsciously,  the  words 
'*  Trinity  in  unity  and  unity  in  Trinity,"  an  expres- 
sion so  decisive  that  at  the  close  of  the  discourse  he 
offered  his  resignation  to  the  congregation.  When  he 
communicated  this  experience  to  his  old  friend  and 
brother  in  the  ministry.  Professor  Huntington,  in  an 
interview  the  next  day,  Professor  Huntington  de- 
clared, "  I  cannot  say  that."  But  he  spoke  the  words 
with  sorrow  and  deep  feeling. 

When  at  length  he  wrote  the  sermon  entitled  "  Life, 
Salvation  and  Comfort  for  Man  in  the  Divine  Trinity," 


164  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

the  light  had  entered  his  soul.  This  confession  of  a 
true  faith  w  as  prepared  for  publication  in  the  volume 
"Christian  Believing  and  Living,"  and  appeared  in 
December,  1859.  A  priest  of  a  later  generation  makes 
this  tribute  to  the  writer:  "His  masterful  sermon, 
with  the  explanatory  note  thereon,  uncovers  the  work- 
ing of  his  philosophic  faith,  and  reveals  the  patient 
deliberation  of  the  investigations,  with  the  irresistible 
cogency  of  the  arguments,  that  attend  his  final  decision 
for  the  church  doctrine  of  our  Lord's  divinity.  It  is  a 
treatise  of  vast  value  to  the  church.  It  has  won  and 
may  still  win  many  more  to  the  faith.  Holy  Scripture, 
authors  ancient  and  modern,  philosophy,  spiritual  in- 
tuitions, considerations  of  practical  purport  —  all  are 
here  called  upon  to  vindicate  the  great  doctrine  and  to 
justify  the  change  in  the  author's  theological  con- 
victions, from  which  thereafter  he  never  swerved.  His 
heart  having  been  given  to  this  truth,  and  his  intel- 
lect fairly  won  to  its  scriptural  and  philosophic  con- 
sistency, he  accepted  and  declared  the  issue  without 
subtlety  and  without  quibbling."  ^ 

In  a  note  upon  this  sermon  at  the  end  of  his  volume 
Dr.  Huntington  says :  — 

"  The  course  of  the  author's  experience  —  if  such  a 
reference  may  be  allowed  —  prompts  a  few  words 
further  on  two  or  three  difficulties  connected  with  the 
subject  in  minds  hesitating  to  receive  the  form  of  the 
doctrine,  while  yet  inclined  by  their  reverence  to  offer  to 
the  Saviour  exalted  honors.  The  whole  issue  is  close 
and  brief.  Jesus  is  either  the  incarnation  not  of  an 
abstraction,  a  quality,  or  a  principle,  but  of  God,  or 
else  he  is  a  created  being,  who  began  to  be  in  time,  so 

^  Memorial  Sermon:  Rev.  W.  D.  Maxon,  D.  D. 


SPIRITUAL    CONFLICT  165 

that  there  was  a  time  when  our  Lord  and  Redeemer 
was  not.  There  is  a  devout  class  of  men  who  speak 
earnestly  of  Christ  as  divine,  and  who  yet  acknowledge 
that  they  date  the  beginning  of  his  being  from  the  hour 
of  his  birth  as  the  Son  of  Mary. 

*'  Closely  analyzed,  the  idea  of  incarnation  which  is 
advanced  by  some  writers,  who  yet  deny  that  Christ 
is  God,  seems  to  signify  nothing  really  distinct  in  kind 
from  what  takes  place  in  any  living  child  of  human 
birth.  We  may  partially  cover  the  question  up  with 
sounding  words,  or  try  to  exalt  the  subject  by  dig- 
nified generalities;  but  unless  there  was  a  Divine 
Personality  incarnated,  there  were  only  those  ab- 
stract notions  or  ideas  which,  in  some  sense  or  other, 
may  be  said  to  be  incarnated  in  every  human  character. 
More  than  this  is  certainly  aflSrmed  in  the  mighty 
sentences  of  the  Gospel.  More  than  this  would  seem 
to  be  demanded  by  hearts  that  the  Gospel  has  quickened 
and  enlarged.  In  the  attempt  to  maintain  a  middle 
position  there  appears  to  be  constant  struggle  between 
the  moral  posture  of  the  student  and  the  intellectual, 
between  his  sentiments  toward  the  Saviour,  which  are 
essentially  adoring,  and  the  abating  definitions  of  his 
formal  statements.  The  right  conclusion  of  that 
struggle  is  a  great  joy." 

These  sentences  are  not  quoted  merely  to  aid  souls 
perplexed  and  questioning,  for  to  such  the  complete 
treatment  of  the  subject  is  commended,  but  because 
they  were  a  reality  to  him  who  wrote  them  and  are 
plainly  autobiographical.  The  joy  and  peace  were  his 
in  full  measure  when  he  found  himself  again  a  leader  of 
minds,  an  expositor  of  living  truths,  after  the  cloud 
and  darkness  he  had  passed  through.    The  following 


166  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

letter  to  an  intimate  correspondent  expresses  what  he 

felt. 

Cambridge,  Dec.  29,  1859. 

To  A.  J. 

The  decisive  publication  has  been  made,  in  a 
volume  of  sermons.  I  want  your  sympathy  in  this 
hour  of  conflict,  when  so  many  friends  are  filled  with 
grief  and  pain,  when  some  are  angry,  some  nobly 
generous,  —  some  surprised — knowing  that  my  convic- 
tions were  less  understood  than  I  thought,  —  and 
when  it  seems  quite  probable  that  the  outward  rela- 
tions of  my  life  may  be  greatly  changed.  Be  assured 
my  peace  is  all  that  our  Blessed  Lord  and  Saviour 
promised.  I  was  never  so  at  rest,  never  less  anxious, 
never  so  strong  as  now.  As  you  have  long  prayed  for 
me,  so  frame  now  a  Collect  of  Thanksgiving,  and  offer 
it  gladly  in  my  behalf.  And  then  intercede  that  I  may 
be  kept  in  an  humble,  meek,  patient  and  gentle  spirit, 
after  Him,  who,  in  great  condescension,  "as  at  this 
time, "  came  to  visit  us  in  the  form  of  a  servant. 

Jan.  8,  1860. 

To  HIS  Sister. 

Notices  of  my  book  are  coming  in  all  the  time. 
Those  on  one  side  are  very  cordial  and  approvatory, 
tho'  I  am  glad  to  say,  to  the  credit  of  Christians,  I 
have  seen  none  that  exult  in  a  partisan  or  proselyting 
spirit.  The  other  party  seems  to  be  on  the  whole,  as 
considerate  as  could  be  expected. 

Private  letters  too,  are  various  in  spirit  and  sig- 
nification. Some  of  them  I  should  like  to  show  you. 
But  your  quiet  view  is  good.  These  mysteries  are  too 
high  for  us,  hence  I  am  more  anxious  to  affirm  than 
to  deny. 


SPIRITUAL    CONFLICT  167 

In  May,  1859,  Professor  Huntington  had  sent  to 
President  Walker  a  confidential  letter,  enclosing  a 
resignation  of  his  office.  Asking  forbearance  for 
misgivings  already  expressed  to  his  valued  counselor, 
he  says:  "Occurrences,  trains  of  thought,  remarks 
brought  to  my  attention,  revive  from  time  to  time 
with  different  degrees  of  force;  tho'  they  are  rarely 
subdued. 

"  You  will  not  wonder  that  I  am  oppressed  with  the 
responsibility  of  acting  as  the  religious  teacher  of 
these  young  men,  under  just  these  circumstances, 
away  from  home  as  they  are,  having  no  parents  at 
hand  to  correct  what  they  might  deem  erroneous,  and 
without  a  large  experience.  On  the  other  hand,  you 
will  consider  how  I  am  likely  to  feel  about  a  full  and 
explicit  declaration  of  my  convictions,  so  as  to  be 
faithful  to  Christ,  and  my  own  soul.  Besides  all  this  the 
question  arises,  and  pursues,  how  far  a  mistrust  or 
uncertainty  in  the  minds  of  my  hearers  as  to  my 
theological  place,  tends  to  prevent  a  hearty,  profit- 
able reception  of  any  spiritual  influence  from  my 
services.  In  other  respects  I  do  not  wish  you  to 
suppose  my  life  here  is  otherwise  than  congenial  and 
agreeable." 

President  Walker's  reply  to  the  confidence  and 
trust  imposed  upon  him  in  this  communication  was 
one  of  regret  for  a  separation  which  he  believed  would 
be  a  calamity  to  the  college.  In  availing  himself  of 
permission  to  retain  the  resignation  for  a  time,  he 
begged  that  it  might  be  a  few  months,  until  his  suc- 
cessor was  appointed,  his  own  retirement  being  then 
already  decided  upon. 

During  the  following  months  the  doubts  and  un- 


168  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

certainties  in  Professor  Huntington's  mind  had  given 
place  to  settled  conviction,  and  through  the  issue  of 
"  Christian  Believing  and  Living "  his  creed  was  de- 
clared before  the  world.  For  a  short  time  he  found 
himself  in  the  intellectual  life  of  New  England  "the 
observed  of  all  observers."  The  removal  of  any  am- 
biguity in  his  position  marked  for  him  a  plain  course 
as  to  the  duty  incumbent  upon  him  to  resign  the  office 
of  Preacher  to  the  University. 

Members  of  the  orthodox  denominations,  in  dis- 
cussions through  the  newspapers  and  in  private  argu- 
ment, made  haste  to  maintain  that  through  his  selec- 
tion as  an  "Independent"  he  might  in  all  candor 
and  sincerity  preach  any  doctrines  he  pleased,  urging 
also  that  the  increasing  number  of  students  of  Evan- 
gelical tendencies  at  the  College  Chapel  removed  his 
obligations  to  conform  to  liberal  views. 

He  himself  took  a  different  view.  *'  My  election  by 
the  Corporation  and  its  confirmation,  after  postpone- 
ments and  much  public  discussion  by  the  Overseers 
(then  a  State  Board)  was  well  understood  to  be  due,  to 
my  independency  of  denominational  ties,  and  the  fact 
that  I  refused  to  be  classed  as  either  a  Unitarian  or  a 
Trinitarian." 

Nearly  twenty-five  years  after,  a  reference  in  a 
Boston  newspaper  recalled  the  incidents  of  that  time. 
"  When  Dr.  Huntington  resigned  his  position  in  Harvard 
University  on  account  of  a  radical  change  in  his  reli- 
gious views,  he  rejected  with  a  dignity  akin  to  scorn 
the  suggestion  that,  as  he  made  no  pledges  when 
elected,  there  was  no  reason  why  he  should  resign. 
Square  dealing  in  ecclesiastical  matters  is  sometimes 
an  ideal  virtue,  which  men  are  willing    to  evade,  and 


SPIRITUAL    CONFLICT  169 

follow  the  advice  that  Portia  rejected,  '  To  do  a  great 
right,  do  a  httle  wrong.'  Indeed  the  instances  are  not 
few,  where  religionists  come  far  short  of  the  code  of 
honor  which  binds  men  of  the  world,  in  rejecting 
advantages  to  which  they  are  not  fairly  entitled." 

There  were,  however,  many  who  felt  that  the 
Chaplain  would  be  doing  no  injury  to  his  sense  of 
integrity  in  retaining  a  position  lofty  enough  to  be 
free  from  entanglement  and  sectarian  suspicion.  Even 
Rev.  Manton  Eastburn,  Bishop  of  Massachusetts, 
in  common  with  other  eminent  men,  took  the  ground 
that  more  good  could  be  done  by  remaining  in  the 
field  than  in  leaving  it. 

The  pressure  of  the  arguments  from  sincere  and 
trusted  advisers  may  be  inferred  from  the  following 
letter  to  the  preacher's  most  intimate  and  beloved 
friend  on  the  Harvard  faculty.  Professor  Josiah 
Parsons  Cooke,  head  of  the  Department  of  Chemistry. 
The  confidence  reposed  in  him  at  this  critical  time, 
may  be  understood  when  one  reads  the  tribute  offered 
by  Bishop  Huntington,  at  Prof.  Cooke's  death  in  1894, 
to  one  "distinguished  in  the  world  of  knowledge  and 
by  those  who  are  able  to  appreciate  character,  equally 
esteemed  for  that  which  is  greater  than  knowledge 
and  'passeth  understanding.'  At  any  time  since  I 
came  to  know  him,  during  nearly  forty  years,  he 
would  have  instantly  surrendered  all  the  satisfactions 
and  rewards  of  learning  rather  than  be  untrue  in  act 
or  word  to  his  Divine  Master,  or  swerve  from  the  way 
of  Christian  integrity.  When  I  had  the  pulpit  and 
pastorate  of  the  College,  he  used  to  gather  students 
Sunday  afternoons  for  religious  instruction  and  en- 
couragement." 


170  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

Jan.  18,  1860. 

To  J.  P.  C. 

Dear  Friend  :  —  Some  time  ago  I  promised  you 
that  before  actually  resigning  my  office,  I  would  in- 
form you  of  any  intention  I  might  form  to  do  so.  Even 
without  such  a  promise  I  should  feel  impelled  to 
acquaint  you  with  that  purpose  before  acting  upon  it, 
and  now  that  the  time  has  come  I  find  I  shrink  far 
more  from  breaking  the  matter  to  you  than  to  any  other 
person  in  this  community,  so  you  are  the  first  man  to 
whom  I  break  it.  Indeed  it  costs  me  severer  effort  to 
write  this  note  than  to  write  my  letter  to  the  Corpora- 
tion, and  I  write  rather  than  speak,  only  because  it  is 
less  trying  to  my  feelings.  There  are  reasons  for  this. 
And  first  of  all  it  is  because  you  have  been  throughout 
my  firmest,  promptest,  most  efficient  and  self-sacrificing 
friend,  and  helper,  among  all  my  associates  here, 
in  the  sacred  work  which  I  have  had  most  at  heart. 
You  have  seen  the  real  meaning  and  aim  of  my  min- 
istry. You  have  nobly  stood  by  me  in  good  report  and 
in  evil  report.  You  have  incurred  great  inconvenience 
and  trial  on  my  account,  and  for  the  sake  of  that  great 
object  which  I  came  here  to  serve.  Often,  I  have  no 
doubt,  you  have  extended  your  favor  to  measures  and 
expressions  which  your  individual  judgment  would 
not  have  chosen,  and  from  loyalty  and  friendship  to  me 
and  my  undertaking,  —  for  Christ's  sake  above  all. 
There  is  probably  no  other  man  here  who  will  regret 
my  going  with  any  feeling  at  all  comparable  to  yours. 
All  this,  I  know\  How  deeply  and  sadly  I  feel  it !  How 
I  have  been  obliged  to  struggle  under  the  sense  of  it! 
God  help  us  both  to  bear  it,  with  mutual  confidence 
unshaken  and  calm  trust  in  God  that  all  shall  be  over- 


SPIRITUAL    CONFLICT  171 

ruled  for  our  good,  for  the  good  of  the  College  and  for 
the  Master's  honor! 

Believe  me,  it  is  the  true  course  which  I  am  taking. 
I  know  my  Christian  honor  is  dear  to  you.  You  would 
not  have  me  act,  so  that  one  slightest  stain  of  reproach, 
or  shade  of  ambiguity,  or  least  bond  of  compromise, 
should  rest  upon  me.  Trust  me,  then,  so  far  as  to  be- 
lieve that  the  course  I  am  taking  is  the  07ily  one  con- 
sistent with  your  friend's  preservation  of  a  perfectly 
fair  name.  Over  and  over  again  I  have  considered  the 
whole  subject  in  all  its  bearings ;  have  brought  all  that 
you  have  said,  or  can  say,  before  conscience  and  my 
Maker.  Day  by  day  and  night  by  night  I  have  prayed 
and  wrestled  in  my  prayers  with  the  Spirit  who  has  so 
abundantly  taught  me  to  trust  Him.  And  now  in  an- 
swer my  way  is  clear.  I  must  not  expect  others  to  see 
it,  —  certainly  not  at  once.  But  you  will  not  expect  on 
your  part  that  a  view  of  duty  so  deliberately  and 
solemnly  adopted,  can  be  easily  altered.  May  we  not 
both  be  spared  the  trial  of  a  fruitless  attempt.^ 

Circumstances  make  it  imperative  that  my  resig- 
nation should  go  in  to-morrow.  I  especially  beg  you 
not  to  mention  it  to  any  person  till  next  week.  It  is 
probable  I  shall  stay  in  C.  many  months,  perhaps 
years.  I  have  offered  to  perform  the  devotional  ex- 
ercises, if  desired,  next  term. 

My  dear  friend,  my  path,  plain  as  it  is,  is  not  easy. 
Look  up  for  me  this  night  to  the  Lord  of  Peace  and 
Strength,  and  should  you  intercede  for  the  University, 
remember  me,  and  my  need  of  help  from  on  high. 
God  care  for  us,  and  bless  us! 

Affectionately,  gratefully,  and  forever  yours, 

F.  D.  H. 


172  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

On  January  19,  Professor  Huntington  presented  to 
the  Corporation  of  Harvard  College  a  request  to  be 
discharged  from  the  post  of  service  to  which  he  had 
been  called  five  years  before,  prefacing  this  with  the 
statement  that  he  had  already  twice  offered  his  resig- 
nation to  the  President,  "leaving  it  to  his  judgment 
either  to  convey  this  communication  to  your  Board 
or  to  withhold  it.  The  reason  assigned  to  my  proposal 
to  retire,  was  the  growth  and  extent  of  my  difference  in 
religious  opinion  and  religious  faith  from  a  majority 
of  those  addressed  by  my  preaching. 

"Aware  that  not  a  few,  good  men,  in  both  the 
parties  referred  to  (Orthodox  and  liberal)  consider  it 
best  that  the  office  should  not  be  vacated,  I  have  re- 
considered more  than  once  very  anxiously  and  with  a 
deep  desire  to  be  taught  the  truth.  It  is  urged  that  the 
attendance  on  the  Chapel  services,  from  the  several 
departments  of  the  University,  indicates  no  necessity 
for  such  a  step.  But  it  will  be  argued  on  the  one  hand 
that  no  public  policy  can  be  sound  which  involves  the 
least  compromise  of  personal  simplicity  of  character. 
Those  minds  that  do  not  attach  great  importance  to 
distinctions  in  belief  will  appreciate  the  rule  of  honor. 
On  the  other  hand  I  venture  to  hope  that  the  same 
confidence  which  might  lead  some  persons  to  wish  me 
to  remain,  will  prompt  the  charitable  suggestion  that 
my  action  is  determined  by  considerations  of  which 
the  full  strength  cannot  be  felt  elsewhere  than  on  the 
spot.  There  is  no  reason  why  I  should  not  go  further 
and  express  with  respectful  deference,  and  in  the  way 
of  a  report  of  my  observation,  a  question  whether 
inherent  difficulties,  insuperable  at  least  for  the 
present,  do  not  stand  in  the  way  of  a  satisfactory 


SPIRITUAL    CONFLICT  173 

separate  religious  ministration  in  an  institution  such 
as  this  in  the  present  crisis." 

The  writer,  after  a  further  review  of  the  situation, 
makes  a  suggestion  that  it  might  be  well  for  the  stu- 
dents to  be  distributed  for  Sunday  worship  among  the 
parishes  of  Cambridge,  according  to  their  own  reli- 
gious preferences  or  training,  a  policy  since  established 
in  the  college.  In  closing,  with  acknowledgments 
for  abundant  kindness  to  the  students,  to  his  asso- 
ciates and  especially  to  those  "older  than  myself  or 
intimately  connected  with  the  University  for  a  longer 
time,  who  have  so  simply  and  considerately  consented 
to  the  means  I  have  proposed  for  the  Christian  wel- 
fare of  the  young  men,  and  who  have  rendered  my 
residence  among  them  delightful,"  the  writer  offered, 
if  desired,  to  conduct  the  week-day  devotional  ser- 
vices in  the  Chapel  for  the  remainder  of  the  aca- 
demic year.  This  was  accepted,  but  his  last  sermon 
in  Appleton  Chapel,  without  formal  leave-taking,  had 
already  been  dehvered  on  the  preceding  Sunday,  Jan. 
15,  1860. 

He  was  called  to  the  pastorate  of  the  church  in 
Harvard  University  at  a  meeting  of  the  members, 
June  19,  1855,  as  conveyed  by  a  document  signed  by 
James  Walker,  Convers  Francis,  C.  C.  Felton.  The 
letter  resigning  this  office  was  written  June  30,  1860, 
at  the  end  of  the  college  term.  It  is  pleasant  to  insert 
here  a  letter  from  one  of  these  church  officers,  always 
a  valued  friend  of  its  pastor. 

Washington,  Jan.  29,  1860. 
My  dear  Mr.  Huntington  :  —  I  have  been  filled 
with  regret,  at  the  news  I  have  received,  within  a  day 


174  FREDERIC    DAN   HUNTINGTON 

or  two.  I  know  that  you  have  been  led  by  the  most 
conscientious  motives,  to  resign  your  place  in  the 
University.  I  have  not  time  now  to  enter  into  any  ex- 
tended argument  to  induce  you  to  recall  your  resig- 
nation; but  I  earnestly  hope  the  Committee  of  the 
Overseers  and  the  Corporation  will  be  able  to  con- 
vince you  that  you  may,  consistently  with  your  sense 
of  Christian  obligations,  continue  with  us  as  our 
honored  and  beloved  religious  teacher  and  guide.  It 
is  my  personal  and  most  decided  wish;  and  I  cannot 
doubt  that  it  is  the  wish  of  the  University.  I  shall 
lament  the  contrary  decision,  if  you  should  finally 
settle  upon  it,  not  only  as  a  calamity  to  the  college,  but 
as  a  great  misfortune  to  myself  and  my  family.  I  need 
not  remind  you  that  you  were  appointed  without  the 
slightest  reference  to  special  opinions  or  controverted 
questions;  so  far  as  any  change  of  views  on  your  part 
may  be  supposed  to  have  affected  your  action,  I  cannot 
doubt,  from  what  I  hear  and  know  of  public  senti- 
ment, that  you  may,  with  entire  good  faith,  dismiss 
that  consideration  from  the  elements  of  final  decision. 
That  your  labors  have  been  effective,  useful  and  im- 
portant to  the  moral  and  religious  condition  of  the 
College,  I  know :  but  I  know  also,  better  than  you  can 
know,  how  difficult  it  .is  to  work  a  visible  change  in  so 
peculiar  a  society  as  that  of  a  college.  You  have  al- 
ready made  a  visible  change:  and  your  further  con- 
tinuance in  the  office  is  essential  to  make  that  change 
for  the  better,  not  only  permanent  but  progressive. 
The  same  papers  that  announced  your  resignation, 
announce  my  election  by  the  Corporation  to  the 
Presidency.  I  was  not  ignorant  of  the  fact  that  my 
name  was  mentioned  in  conversation  and  by  the  press, 


SPIRITUAL    CONFLICT  175 

with  others,  for  this  most  responsible  position;  but  I 
had  no  intimation  from  any  member  of  the  Corpora- 
tion or  of  any  other  body,  that  I  was  seriously  thought 
of.  Should  the  Overseers  concur,  I  shall  probably 
accept  the  office,  with  many  misgivings  and  serious 
questionings,  whether  it  will  be  for  the  good  of  the 
College,  or  my  own  happiness.  And  I  should  regard 
your  retirement  at  such  a  moment  as  a  very  unfortu- 
nate circumstance. 

With  kind  regards  to  Mrs.  Huntington, 
Ever  cordially  yours, 

C.  C.  Felton. 

A  gratifying  tribute  came  from  three  professors  of 
the  Law  Department.  "  We  believe  that  the  University 
has  been  made  better  by  your  labors.  It  will  be  fortu- 
nate for  her  future  history  if  the  moral  and  rehgious 
influence  which  the  example  and  instructions  of  the 
incumbent  of  the  place  you  have  occupied  shall  exert 
upon  her  pupils,  shall  be  guided  and  animated  by  as 
devoted  a  purpose,  as  untiring  a  zeal,  and  as  sincere, 
wise  and  well-directed  regard  for  the  best  welfare  of 
others  as  have  characterized  your  administration  of 
its  duties."  This  was  subscribed,  with  other  expressions 
of  commendation  and  affection:  Joel  Parker,  The- 
ophilus  Parsons,  Emory  Washburn.  It  could  not  be 
expected  that  there  would  be  unanimity  of  feeling 
among  those  who  had  sat  under  Professor  Huntington's 
preaching,  in  the  seats  of  the  faculty,  during  the  five 
years  which  wrought  such  changes  in  his  own  mind. 
Among  some  of  those  sincerely  attached  to  the  Uni- 
tarian denomination  there  was  dissatisfaction,  not 
only  with  the  doctrine  to  which  they  listened  but  to  the 


176  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

new  features  introduced  into  the  worship.  Such 
differences  were  not  bitter,  nor  loudly  expressed,  but 
their  existence  helped  to  soften  the  sundering  of  a  tie, 
between  minister  and  people,  which  had  been  that  of  a 
regular  parish,  and  in  many  cases  become  an  affec- 
tionate and  personal  relation.  There  were  other  regrets 
in  breaking  from  the  close  associations  of  the  past, 
and  it  seems  not  inappropriate  to  copy  here  a  few 
words  written  from  the  retrospect  of  age. 

"  Of  course  no  experience  in  my  life  can  have  been 
more  important  to  my  own  mind  than  my  separation 
from  the  Unitarian  denomination  in  which  I  was  bom 
and  brought  up,  and  my  acceptance  of  the  CathoHc 
faith  of  the  Historical  Church.  What  has  led  me 
into  these  reminiscences  is  a  certain  solicitude,  of 
which  I  am  often  conscious,  lest  my  change  of  re- 
ligious faith  and  position  should  be  supposed  to  cast 
discredit  on  my  early  training  in  my  family  and  in 
the  Unitarian  body,  or  to  imply  that  I  fail  to  appre- 
ciate and  acknowledge  the  actual  and  generous  ad- 
vantages which  in  some  respects  I  am  sure  I  derived 
from  my  education  and  association  on  the  side  of  the 
liberal  culture,  the  thought  and  life  of  New  England 
during  the  second  quarter  of  the  century,  —  or  say 
from  1820  to  1860.  For  these,  with  all  the  errors,  one- 
sidedness  and  losses,  I  can  truly  say,  I  am  thankful 
to  the  Providence  of  God.  I  am  not  quite  patient 
at  the  idea  that  I  have  renounced  either  a  love  of  in- 
dependence and  freedom  or  a  grateful  sense  of  those 
favors  and  honors  which  the  liberal  party  of  those 
days  lavished  upon  me,  to  its  utmost  bounty,  and  be- 
yond all  my  deserving;  that  I  have  passed  from  the 
sphere  of  sympathy  with  toleration,  progress,  and  char- 


SPIRITUAL    CONFLICT  177 

ity  to  a  region  of  exclusiveness,  bigotry,  or  mere  ven- 
eration for  the  past. 

**  Surely  the  wrench  itself,  and  all  that  went  with  it, 
a  re-beginning  of  all  one's  professional,  and  much  of 
one's  social  career,  and  its  scenery,  with  all  that  I  have 
preached  and  published  since,  both  positive  and  nega- 
tive, ought  to  suffice  for  proof  of  the  reality,  thorough- 
ness and  comprehensiveness  of  the  convictions  which 
commanded  it." 

Appropriate  to  such  reflections  is  the  following,  a 
copy  of  which  was  preserved  with  other  correspondence 
and  inscribed,  "a  specimen  of  many  written  at  this 
time." 

Nov.  30,  1859. 
To  C.  S.  K. 

My  dear  Friend :  —  It  cannot  be  otherwise  than 
gratifying  to  me  that  you  keep  a  remembrance  of  my 
ministry,  and  an  interest  in  my  belief  fresh  and  strong 
enough  to  prompt  you  to  write  me  at  this  time.  As 
you  suggest,  my  correspondence  is  very  large,  espe- 
cially at  the  present  moment.  Letters  come  in,  in  such 
quantity,  with  inquiries,  congratulations,  and  regrets 
that  I  lay  aside,  for  the  most  part,  my  ordinary  occu- 
pations to  answer  them,  and  certainly  yours,  —  the 
letter  of  an  old  and  faithful  friend,  —  shall  not  be 
neglected.  Indeed  how  can  I  find  any  happier  and 
better  employment  than  in  commending  to  others 
what  I  find  so  clear,  —  so  strengthening,  and  so  com- 
forting to  myself  ? 

The  preaching  of  my  deliberate  and  deepest  con- 
victions is  the  business  of  my  life.  For  now  I  feel  an 
assurance  I  never  felt  before,  I  feel  certainty,  now, 
of  standing  on  "the  foundation  of  the  Apostles  and 


178  FREDERIC    DAN   HUNTINGTON 

Prophets,  Jesus  Christ  himself  being  the  chief  cor- 
ner-stone." Now  I  can  join  in  without  hesitation,  or 
reserve,  with  the  great  multitudes  of  the  Christian 
ages,  and  of  all  Christian  lands,  in  the  grand  and 
glowing  ascription,  "  Glory  be  to  the  Father,  and  to  the 
Son,  and  to  the  Holy  Ghost,  as  it  was  in  the  begin- 
ning, is  now  and  ever  shall  be,  world  without  end. 
Amen." 

How  unnatural  it  would  be  if  I  did  not  wish  to  im- 
part this  joy,  and  confidence,  and  peace,  and  conso- 
lation, which  I  am  sure  God  has  given  me  by  the  Cross 
of  my  Lord,  —  to  all  whom  I  love,  —  and  it  seems  to 
me  that  I  never  loved  so  many,  nor  so  much  before. 

You  will  not  expect  me  in  these  narrow  limits  to  give 
you  the  reasons  by  which  my  mind  has  been  led  to  its 
present  conclusions.  Suffice  it  to  say,  the  process  has 
been  steady,  slow  and  always  in  one  direction.  In 
spite  of  all  the  external  and  friendly  inducements  to 
remain  where  I  had  a  large  hearing,  position,  honors, 
sympathies,  enough  to  fill  the  human  desires  of  any 
reasonable  man,  my  mind  has  been  lifted  up  and  borne 
irresistibly  along  to  another  faith. 

Do  not  suppose,  because  you  have  associated  this 
other  faith  with  dogmatism  and  bigotry,  that  I  am 
going  to  be  a  dogmatist  or  a  bigot.  I  don't  believe  I 
am.  The  truth  is,  those  are  faults  of  human  nature, 
rather  than  of  religious  systems.  I  find  them  too  pre- 
valent everyAvhere;  certainly  they  are  too  rife  and 
bitter  among  Unitarians.  There  are  most  truly  liberal 
and  noble  and  generous  Christians  in  all  sects.  But 
we  want  more  of  them;  and  I  hope  to  see  them  mul- 
tiplied. Certainly  there  is  nothing  inconsistent  with 
such  a  spirit  in  an  Evangelical  theology.     You  refer 


SPIRITUAL   CONFLICT  179 

to  my  past  instructions  very  kindly.  My  dear  friend, 
if  you  were  willing  to  listen  to  me,  and  inquire  with 
me  then,  listen  to  me  and  inquire  with  me  all  the  more, 
now.  What  was  positive  and  afjirmatory  in  my  preach- 
ing was  true.  What  was  negative  and  unscriptural, 
I  hope  may  be  forgiven.  Pray  come  on,  with  me,  to 
these  still  better  and  firmer  views.  These  are  two 
good  texts  for  you:  "  Hold  that  fast  which  thou  hast," 
and  "  Lord,  I  believe,  help  thou  mine  unbelief."  En- 
treat the  Holy  One  to  enlighten  you;  to  give  you  a 
fair,  candid,  unprejudiced  spirit  of  investigation;  to 
open  your  whole  understanding  and  heart  to  the  truth. 
And  he  will  "lead  you  into  all  truth." 

You  refer  to  a  sermon  I  once  preached,  giving  seven 
reasons  for  disbeHeving  the  Trinit;^.  I  remember  it 
perfectly,  tho'  it  is  a  long  time  since  I  have  seen 
the  manuscript,  and  I  am  not  likely  to  look  it  up.  It 
was  written  in  good  faith,  —  but  not  half  so  good  a 
faith  as  the  Master  has  been  pleased  to  give  me  since. 
And  I  hope  you  will  credit  it,  when  I  tell  you  that,  as 
I  look  back  upon  the  real  state  of  my  mind,  when  the 
discourse  was  delivered,  it  seems  to  me  very  plain  that, 
after  all,  I  was  not  satisfied,  but  only  trying  to  be  so ; 
that  I  was  defending  what  human  lips  had  taught  me 
rather  than  the  Infinite  One  who  is  the  Light  of  the 
world. 

You  speak  —  and  I  thank  God  you  can  —  of 
your  faith  in  "the  divine  Sonship  of  our  blessed 
Saviour,  Jesus  Christ."  Now,  if  you  carefully  exam- 
ne  the  real  meaning  of  that  language,  will  you  not 
find  it  impossible  to  stop  short  of  the  absolute  and 
perfect  oneness  of  nature  between  the  Son  and  the 
Father  ? 


180  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

A  clear  and  full  statement  of  the  reasons  for  his 
change  of  belief  was  given  by  Professor  Huntington 
to  his  friend  and  former  family  pastor,  Rev.  Dr.  Hall, 
one  of  the  oldest  and  most  honored  of  the  Unitarian 
ministry,  who  had  sent  a  letter  of  Idndly  remon- 
strance, which  was  met  by  a  reply,  written  in  a  spirit 
of  sacred  confidence.  The  extract  which  is  given  man- 
ifests, in  a  touching  manner,  the  depth  and  permanence 
of  that  mother's  influence  which  was  the  mainspring 
of  her  son's  life. 

Dec.  15,  1859. 

To  E.  B.  H. 

You  speak  of  my  mother.  I  think  I  shall  always 
love  all  that  loved  her.  Her  impression  on  you  does 
not  surprise  me,  for  her  piety,  in  depth,  consistency, 
vigor,  fervor  and  practical  force  surpassed  any  piety 
I  have  ever  known.  It  was  too  high,  pure,  heavenly 
to  be  associated  without  profanity  with  any  secta- 
rian name  or  persuasion.  But  in  fact  that  piety  was 
produced,  nurtured,  and  matured  under  the  influ- 
ences and  within  the  Fold  of  the  Trinitarian  Church. 
There  for  seventeen  years  it  grew  and  bore  expressions 
and  fruits  as  abounding  as  it  ever  yielded,  before  the 
pressure  of  an  ultra-Calvinistic  disciphne  and  intol- 
erant personal  exclusiveness  drove  her  from  the  home 
of  her  heart,  and  even  modified  her  statement  of 
opinion,  though  never  reverence  for  her  Divine  Saviour. 
All  the  secrets  of  that  intellectual  and  inward  process 
are  known  only  to  the  Searcher  of  hearts.  But  next 
to  Heaven,  a  holy  confidence  and  cherished  records 
admitted  me  to  a  deep  acquaintance  with  all  her  per- 
plexed way.     She  never  wished  to  leave  the  Trinita- 


SPIRITUAL    CONFLICT  181 

rian  communion.  She  never  parted  with  the  substance 
of  her  early  faith.  No  power,  under  the  Holy  Spirit, 
was  so  efficient  in  bringing  me  where  I  now  am,  as 
the  past  communications  —  if  I  may  not  say  the  im- 
mediate action  —  of  her  love,  and  I  suppose  we  were 
never  so  much  at  one  as  we  are  in  these  happy 
hours. 


CHAPTER   VI 


DIVINE    GUIDANCE 


"  Now  Christian  was  much  affected  with  his  deliverance  from  all  the 
dangers  of  his  solitary  ways.  And  about  this  time  the  sun  was  rising 
and  this  was  another  mercy.    Then  said  he  : 

"  'His  candle  shineth  on  my  head  and  by  his  light  I  go  through 
darkness.'  " 

Almost  at  the  end  of  his  pilgrimage  Frederic  Hunt- 
ington wrote:  "It  has  been  all  these  forty  years  and 
more,  a  chief  joy  and  satisfaction  of  my  life  to  show 
to  others  the  wondrous  way  in  which  the  God  of  Truth 
and  Peace  has  led  me  to  his  Household  and  made  it 
my  home.  I  was  brought  up  and  was  a  minister  among 
those  who  deny  the  truth  of  the  Trinity.  My  heart's 
desire  for  all  such  is  that  they  may  be  saved."  This 
was  the  motive  of  his  preaching,  and  it  was  in  a  like 
spirit  of  consecration  that  he  gave  his  writings  to  the 
world.  The  fruits  of  his  early  pastoral  work,  of  his 
religious  experience  and  deliberate  change  of  con- 
victions are  all  summed  up  in  the  two  volumes  of  ser- 
mons pubhshed  in  1855  and  1859.  Through  these 
his  reputation  was  established,  and  his  name  became 
widely  known,  not  only  in  his  own  country,  but  across 
the  sea.  In  1860,  quite  unknown  to  the  author,  an 
edition  of  "  Christian  Believing  and  Living "  was 
published  in  Edinburgh  and  London:  the  discourses 
printed  without  the  Scripture  texts,  and  with  no  pre- 


DIVINE    GUIDANCE  183 

face  or  explanation  to  indicate  that  the  writer  was  an 
American. 

The  interest  awakened  in  his  readers  may  be  seen 
in  letters  to  Dr.  Huntington,  given  in  the  present 
chapter.  The  following  clear  and  discriminating  es- 
timate is  from  the  Rev.  J.  G.  Butler. 

"No  English  writer,  not  excepting  the  justly  de- 
served favorites,  Robertson  and  Bushnell,  has,  in 
equal  space,  compacted  so  much  living  and  valuable 
thought  in  language  so  clear,  vigorous,  terse  and 
elegant  as  will  be  found  in  the  two  volumes,  '  Christian 
Believing  and  Living'  and  'Sermons  for  the  People.' 
The  range  of  topics  includes  a  connected  and  prac- 
tically full  statement  of  the  essential  doctrines,  and  a 
similar  exposition  of  actual  Christian  experience. 
Without  employing  the  technical  terms  of  theology 
and  philosophy,  yet  using  no  feebler  equivalents,  he 
deals  with  every  form  of  speculative  and  experimental 
question  from  the  standpoint  of  scriptural  truth. 
The  underlying  philosophy  of  the  Christian  system 
is  discriminately  applied  to  particular  points  of  behef 
and  to  differing  phases  of  spiritual  life,  as  well  as  to 
advanced  issues  raised  by  modern  infidelity,  and  to 
current  social  problems.  As  suggestive  studies  upon 
all  these  leading  themes  of  the  pulpit,  emphatically 
upon  the  relation  and  bearing  of  a  genuine  health- 
ful Christianity  upon  the  customs  and  institutions  of 
society,  these  volumes  are  eminently  full,  intelligible 
and  satisfactory  in  both  reasonings  and  conclusions. 

"The  writer's  method,  too,  of  putting  thought,  and 
his  style  in  giving  it  expression  strongly  attract  a 
thoughtful  and  discriminating  reader.  Uniting  keen 
philosophical  insight  with  great  analytic  and    logical 


184  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

power,  naturally  broad  perceptions  and  balanced 
judgment,  with  the  largest,  most  refined  culture,  in- 
cluding not  only  the  careful  study  of  books,  but  also 
of  men  in  their  natures,  their  business  and  social 
habits,  and  their  varied  experiences  —  there  is  a  vi- 
tality, a  directness,  force  and  progress  in  his  thinking 
that  compel  attention  and  awaken  a  corresponding 
enthusiasm. 

"  As  a  crowning  charm  of  these  books,  on  every  page 
we  discern  a  hearty  scorn  of  shams  and  a  righteous 
severity  against  counterfeits  and  pretenses,  alike  in 
religious  professions  and  every-day  life,  a  thorough 
love  for  realness  and  loyalty  to  truth;  a  genuine 
reverence  for  things,  human  as  well  as  divine,  that  are 
to  be  revered;  and  an  intense  purpose  to  honor  God, 
and  to  be  helpful  to  man.  As  helps  to  devotion,  there- 
fore, as  supplying,  through  the  invigorating  play  of 
quickening  thought,  continual  incentive  to  healthful, 
spiritual  feeling,  these  admirable  volumes  deserve 
the  highest  commendation  to  Christian  students  and 
thoughtful  believers  of  every  name."  ^ 

For  a  short  time  after  his  resignation  at  Harvard, 
discussion  and  conjecture  were  rife  over  Dr.  Hunt- 
ington's future  course.  When  it  became  known  that 
the  board  of  overseers  had  asked  the  chaplain  to  re- 
consider his  resignation,  letters  poured  in  urging  liim 
to  remain  at  the  University.  From  the  same  sources 
where  the  appointment  of  a  liberal  to  the  post  of 
college  preacher  had  been  deplored  five  years  before, 
came  now  urgent  remonstrance  against  his  leaving. 

^  Rev.  Charles  Macauley  Stuart  says  of  Christian  Believing  and 
Living  that  it  is  "  to  my  mind  the  choicest  devotional  classic  this 
country  has  produced." 


DIVINE    GUIDANCE  185 

In  an  editorial  obituary  notice  in  a  Boston  news- 
paper it  was  said  of  Bishop  Huntington's  early  ex- 
perience: "At  one  time  a  popular  preacher  in  the 
city  of  Boston,  in  a  Unitarian  pulpit,  then  a  pro- 
fessor of  ethics  and  religion  at  Harvard  University,  he 
in  due  time  ceased  to  be  a  Unitarian,  and  for  lack 
of  welcome  by  Trinitarian  Congregationalists,  and 
because  of  the  suspicion  and  frigidity  of  the  Con- 
gregational leaders  of  that  day,  entered  the  Pro- 
testant Episcopal  church,  in  which  he  was  to  rise 
ultimately  to  the  place  of  Bishop  and  be  one  of  the 
earliest  and  most  ardent  advocates  of  that  form  of 
Christian  activity  which  is  calculated  to  retain  in  al- 
legiance to  the  church  the  wage-earners  and  artisans." 
As  a  matter  of  history,  the  statement  quoted,  with 
regard  to  the  attitude  of  the  prominent  men  in  the 
Orthodox  Congregational  body,  is  without  foundation. 
The  following  communications  taken  from  the  corre- 
spondence of  that  time  are  sufficient  evidence  that  no 
mark  of  good-will  was  wanting.  In  the  weeks  after 
tendering  his  resignation  Dr.  Huntington  preached 
on  Sundays  in  the  Pine  Street  and  Bowdoin  Street 
churches ;  the  Old  South ;  for  Rev.  Dr.  Albro  in 
Cambridge  ;  and  occupied  the  pulpit  of  the  Shawmut 
Church  for  several  weeks,  all  Orthodox  Congregational 
parishes. 

From  Rev.  Edward  N.  Kirk,  D.D.,  pastor  of  the 
Mount  Vernon  church. 

Boston,  Dec.  1,  1859. 
Dr.  Huntington. 

My  dear  Brother :  —  I  am  charged  by  a  committee 
of  gentlemen  from  a  very  important  church,  if  we  may 


186  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

thus  speak  of  any  one  in  particular,  to  confer  with 
you  in  regard  to  their  desire  to  secure  your  services 
as  their  minister  and  teacher. 

You  of  course  anticipate  every  point  of  that  confer- 
ence on  my  side.  But  the  preUminary  one  is,  are  you 
wilHng  to  confer  on  the  subject.'^  The  inquiries  I 
would  propose  are  these.  Are  your  views  for  probable 
greatest  usefulness  such  as  to  preclude  the  considera- 
tion of  becoming  pastor  of  a  church  in  Boston  ?  Are 
your  views  of  the  Unitarian  church  such  as  to  induce 
you  ecclesiastically  to  separate  yourself  from  them  ? 

You  will  not  I  trust  consider  me  intrusive  in  re- 
viving the  last  point  when  we  had  closed  a  discussion 
of  it.  Then  I  was  endeavoring  to  ascertain  my  own 
duty.  Now  I  am  acting  for  a  large  body  of  Christ's 
disciples;  and  you  will  appreciate  my  motives.  You 
may  imagine  that  the  time  will  seem  long  to  these 
brethren  until  I  shall  be  able  to  report  to  them. 

Shall  I  call  on  you,  or  will  you  determine  your  course 
without  an  interview  ? 

Most  affectionately, 

Your  brother  in  Christ, 

Edw.  N.  Kirk. 

From  Rev.  Nehemiah  Adams,  pastor  of  Essex  Street 

Congregational  Church. 

Boston,  Jan.  18,  1860. 

Rev.  Professor  Huntington,  D.  D. 

My  dear  Sir:  —  It  has  been  my  desire  for  some  time 
to  see  you  and  express  the  high  gratification  derived 
from  reading  your  Sermons,  in  the  volume  just  pub- 
lished, which  has  awakened  so  much  interest  among 
all  who  have  perused  it. 


DIVINE    GUIDANCE  187 

I  was  pleased  with  the  sensible  and  judicious 
manner  in  which  you  placed  the  disclosure  of  your 
views  subordinately  in  your  volume,  without  osten- 
tation. 

I  never  have  seen  the  subject  treated  more  fully, 
more  satisfactorily,  or  from  better  points  of  view.  The 
whole  development  and  your  entire  position  are  deeply 
interesting  to  the  whole  Evangelical  community. 

While  my  respect  for  you  would  lead  me  to  refrain 
from  anything  which  would  seem  to  look  like  endorse- 
ment, still  there  are  duties  of  fellowship  and  private 
signs  of  interest  and  of  desire  to  be  one  with  you,  for 
the  truth's  sake,  which  lead  me  to  say  that,  if  for  any 
reason  you  can  see  your  way  clear  to  preach  for  me 
during  the  day  or  in  the  evening  of  any  Sabbath  it 
will  be  very  gratifying  to  me;  and  if  next  Sabbath 
will  be  convenient  to  you  for  this  purpose,  my  pulpit 
is  open  to  you.  I  desire  to  do  that  which  will  pro- 
mote your  public  usefulness;  for  you  have,  I  trust, 
a  good  work  before  you.  Be  so  good,  therefore,  as  to 
make  use  of  me  in  the  way  intimated  for  that  pur- 
pose. If  you  can,  will  you  preach  at  Essex  Street 
church  next  Sabbath,  the  22,  morning,  afternoon  or 
evening  ? 

Most  truly  yours, 

N.  Adams. 

From  the  Rev.  Ray  Palmer,  author  of  the  hymn, 
"My  Faith  looks  up  to  Thee." 

Albany,  Jan  22,  1860. 
Mt  dear  Brother  :  —  I    wrote    you    simply    be- 
cause I  felt  I  must  express  the  deep  interest  in  you  and 


188  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

the  warm  sympathy  with  what  God  has  been  mani- 
festly doing  for  you  and  hy  you  for  a  long  time.  It 
seemed  imjx)ssible  but  that  the  trials  of  your  position 
must  have  been  many,  and  it  appeared  to  me  to  be  a 
duty  impressed  on  those  whose  hearts  were  with  you 
to  say  so,  for  your  encouragement  and  comfort.  .  .  . 

This  has  struck  me  in  reading  vonv  discourses,  and 
it  gives  them  a  special  charm,  that  you  seem  all  the 
while  to  be  evolving  a  theology  from  experience, 
rather  than  aiming  to  reach  an  experience  by  theology, 
i.  e.  as  reasoned  out  by  the  logical  intellect.  As  in- 
wardly guided,  you  explore  the  field  of  religious  truth, 
and  at  once  recognize  and  verify  the  Christian  doc- 
trines, by  a  divine  hglit  and  spiritual  appreciation. 
When  the  Holy  Spirit  in  the  soul  "  takes  the  things  of 
Christ  and  shows  them"  to  the  attentive  and  waiting 
understanding,  with  what  a  self -witnessing  power 
they  come!  .  .  . 

I  thank  you  for  what  you  say  so  kindly  of  the  hymn. 
It  is  always  grateful  to  me  to  hear  that  it  aids  the 
w^orship  of  Christ's  people.  The  truth  which  it  em- 
bodies will  suflficiently  explain  the  fact  that  it  has 
found  a  place  in  the  hearts  of  living  and  dying 
saints. 

I  hope  to  be  in  Massachusetts  in  February  and  will 
certainly  come  to  see  you,  and  if  you  have  an  hour  to 
spare  we  will  talk  as  fast  as  we  can. 

Believe  me  fraternally  and  affectionately  yours, 

Ray  Palmer. 

From  Rev.  S.  P.  Thompson,  D.  D.,  pastor  of  the 
Broadway  Tabernacle,  Congregational,  New  York 
City. 


DIVINE    GUIDANCE  189 

New  York,  Jan.  29,  1860. 

My  dear  Brother  :  —  It  is  lawful  to  do  good  on 
the  Sabbath  day ;  and  especially  lawful  to  care  for  some 
great  interest  of  the  Master's  kingdom.  Last  night, 
after  reading  of  your  resignation  at  Cambridge,  I  re- 
solved to  write  you  not  to  be  in  haste  to  commit  your- 
self to  new  arguments,  and  especially  not  to  throw 
away  your  individuality  and  your  power  for  personal 
movement  by  entering  into  any  of  the  closer  sects; 
and  I  retired  thinking  and  wondering  what  should 
the  Professor  do  ?  To-day  it  has  been  revealed  to  me 
what  you  shall  do;  and  "being  in  the  spirit,  on  the 
Lord's  Day,"  and  having  heard  the  voice,  I  make 
haste  to  deliver  the  message. 

For  three  years  past  there  have  been  sporadic 
movements  toward  a  new  Congregational  church 
in  New  York.  These  movements  would  have  crys- 
tallized around  our  beloved  brother  Storrs,  but  for 
the  hard  times,  and  his  earnestness  for  a  liturgy.  It 
was  thought  best  to  avoid  novelties  and  to  start  purely 
congregational.  The  elements  for  such  an  organiza- 
tion remain  numerous  and  strong.  The  field  is  ample. 
I  am  most  earnest  for  the  thing. 

Well,  to-day,  Mr.  L.,  formerly  of  Boston,  came  to 
me  to  say  that  an  effort  must  be  made  to  get  you  here. 
Amen !  said  I;  and  I  write  at  once  to  say  that  by  way 
of  introducing  you  to  parties  here,  I  will  exchange 
with  you  at  Shawmut,  any  Sabbath  after  the  next,  or 
will  welcome  you  to  my  pulpit  for  the  whole  of  any 
Sabbath  which  you  will  name. 

There  will  be  money,  enterprise,  strength,  faith, 
working-power,  everyihing  in  short  that  you  could  de- 
sire, in  getting  up  a  church,  and  such  a   field  as  you 


190  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

would  have !  and  such  welcome  as  I  should  give  you ! 
and  such  joy  as  I  would  have  in  you! 
Write  when  you  will  come. 

Ever  truly  yours, 

Jas.  p.  Thompson. 
Confer  not  with  flesh  and  blood !  Obey  the  heavenly 
vision. 

St.  Anthony,  Feb.  6,  1860. 

My  dear  Friend  and  Brother  :  —  I  see  by  a 
paper  which  has  just  come  to  hand,  that  you  have  been 
constrained  to  resign  your  place.  I  greatly  regret  that 
necessity  which  has  compelled  you,  and  sympathize 
deeply  in  the  trial  through  which  you  are  passing. 

I  have  not  seen  your  last  book,  which  I  suppose  may 
have  had  something  to  do  with  the  issue  to  which  you 
have  come.  But  I  was  prepared  to  see  that  a  bold  and 
outspoken  declaration  would  cost  you  a  hard  struggle. 
"Liberal  Christianity"  is  not,  after  all,  the  gentlest, 
broadest  thing  in  the  world.  This  you  had  learned 
before,  and  so  far,  probably,  are  not  disappointed. 

Still  the  burden  you  carry  must  be  heavy,  and  I  hope 
you  will  have  grace  to  bear  it  in  such  a  way  as  will 
strengthen  you.  In  some  respects  I  almost  envy  you,  — 
for  it  is  really  good  and  blessed,  as  I  can  testify,  to 
be  under  any  pressure  that  presses  toward  God. 
About  the  richest  months  of  enjoyment  I  have  ever  had 
were  those  in  which  I  was  most  pitied  and  consoled 
with  by  my  friends.  They  wrote  me  about  the  "  suffer- 
ing" and  "pain"  and  "loss,"  and  such  like  forms  of 
misery  —  really  I  did  not  know  where  it  was.  Under 
the  shadow  of  the  Almighty  such  things  do  not  come. 

Yours  truly, 

Horace  Bushnell. 


DIVINE    GUIDANCE  191 

Professor  Park,  of  the  Theological  School  at  An- 
dover,  wrote  on  the  date  of  Februry  4,  18G0:  — 

"I  presume  that  you  will  recall  your  resignation  of 
the  Plummer  Professorship.  Will  it  be  too  much  to 
ask  that  if  you  have  decided  not  to  recall  it,  you  will 
have  the  goodness  to  inform  me  ?  I  feel  very  desirous 
of  having  a  conversation  with  you  on  one  project,  in 
the  case  of  your  deciding  to  leave  Harvard'^ 

From  Professor  Park. 

Andover,  Feb.  13,  1860. 

I  have  just  received  your  kind  letter 

It  would  be  only  an  affectation  for  me  to  deny,  that 
I  am  disappointed.  When  I  wrote  you,  I  firmly  ex- 
pected that  you  would  either  remain  independent 
of  all  denominations  in  your  present  office,  or  else 
would  be  willing  to  take  a  position  among  the  Con- 
gregationalists,  where  I  supposed  that  you  would  ac- 
complish more  than  you  could  accomplish  anywhere 
else,  for  the  cause  which  you  love.  I  heard  last  Satur- 
day that  you  had  decided  on  a  different  course,  and 
this  morning  I  find  the  rumor  confirmed  by  your  letter, 
which  is  very  frank. 

It  would  be  simply  foolish  for  me  to  deny  that  I  am 
grieved,  as  you  supposed  that  I  would  be. 

Still,  I  shall  always  entertain  for  you  a  very  high 
respect,  and  I  shall  always  cherish  for  you  a  warm 
affection;  and  although  I  disapprove  of  your  course, 
I  do  not  doubt  but  that  you  are  as  honest  and  candid 
in  taking  as  I  am  in  disliking  it.  Allow  me  to  say,  that 
you  make  on  my  mind  the  impression,  that  you  are  an 
exceedingly   honest   and   honorable   thinker;    and   I 


192  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

shall  never  cease  to  feel  a  high  regard  for  your  thoughts, 
even  when  I  do  not  coincide  with  them. 

As  the  "  Biblia  Sacra  "  is  not  a  denominational  work 
it  will  very  gladly  receive  your  contributions,  from 
whatever  denomination  you  may  send  them.  Let 
me  indulge  the  hope  that  you  will  write  for  the  peri- 
odical whenever  you  can.  I  can  easily  imagine  that 
you  are  overwhelmed  with  letters.  Do  not  take  the 
trouble  to  answer  this. 

Very  affectionately, 

I  am,  dear  sir,  your  friend, 

Edward  A.  Park. 

From  President  Mark  Hopkins. 

Williams  College,  Feb.  9,  1860. 
Rev.  Dr.  Huntington. 

My  dear  Sir:  —  How  much  pleasanter  life  would 
seem  if  no  questions  of  doubtful  propriety  or  duty 
would  come  up.  You  asked  me  to  preach  for  you.  I 
doubted  and  declined.  I  must  still  think,  rightly. 
Now  I  am  asked  to  write  you.  I  doubt  and  comply, 
and  so  if  you  think  me  wrong  you  will  please  re- 
member, so  great  is  my  doubt,  that  we  do  not  differ 
much  in  opinion.,  I  am  so  wholly  ignorant  of  your 
views,  and  of  those  more  intimate  circumstances 
which  will  be  controUing,  that  anything  I  may  say 
will  be  hable  to  be  irrelevant  if  not  impertinent. 

The  request  comes  from  some  of  the  Shawmut 
people,  who  think  you  might  do  a  great  work  for 
Christ  in  that  part  of  the  city,  and  who  would  be 
willing  to  do  anything  in  their  power  if  they  could 
have  you  for  a  pastor  and  work  with  you. 


DIVINE    GUIDANCE  193 

I  am  free  to  say  that  my  preference  would  be  to 
have  you  remain  where  you  have  been,  and  I  am  not 
without  hope  that  such  an  arrangement  may  yet 
be  made.  If  not,  then  I  sympathize  with  the  Shaw- 
mut  people,  and  think  you  would  find  among  them 
a  wide  and  welcoming  and  worthy  field.  This  is  on 
the  supposition  that  in  changing  your  doctrinal  be- 
lief you  have  not,  like  the  most,  whether  clergy  or 
laity,  who  have  passed  from  Unitarianism  to  Ortho- 
doxy, also  passed  from  Congregationalism  to  Epis- 
copacy, and  that  you  will  not  do  that.  The  general 
act  I  think  I  can  account  for,  and  on  grounds  some 
of  which  I  think  would  be  strongly  against  your  do- 
ing the  same. 

But  however  that  may  be,  I  am  sure  I  can  say  in 
all  sincerity,  that  my  simple  wish  is  to  see  you  where 
you  can  do  the  most  for  the  cause  of  our  Divine  Re- 
deemer, without  reference  to  names  or  forms.  If 
you  think  you  find  Episcopacy  in  the  Bible  I  have 
not  a  word  to  say.  Nor  should  I  have  to  the  most 
of  those  who  go  to  that  from  taste,  or  personal  pre- 
ference, though  I  should  regard  it  as  a  matter  of 
principle.  They  may  be  better  off  there,  and  just  as 
useful.  But  with  a  right  doctrinal  system,  and  a  free- 
dom that  would  put  you  in  sympathy  with  the  masses, 
you  have  the  power,  beyond  most  men,  while  you  will 
please  the  cultivated  and  refined,  to  reach  and  stir 
those  masses.  That  is  what  is  needed,  and  that  is 
what  I  wish  to  see  you  in  the  best  position  to  do.  I 
should  be  glad  to  see  realized  again,  as  it  would  almost 
seem  as  if  we  might,  Cowper's  description  of  White- 
field.  For  the  end  just  mentioned  I  should  be  glad  to 
see   you   with  the   simple   dignity  of    a   pastor    and 


194  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

preacher,  relying  on  the  power  of  the  Spirit,  having 
as  you  would  have,  the  prayers  and  cooperation  of 
your  church,  and  the  affection  and  confidence  of  your 
brethren,  with  no  authority  above  you  but  that  of 
the  Master.  So  it  was  with  our  Puritan  Fathers,  and 
so,  as  I  believe,  with  the  pastors  and  preachers,  of  the 
primitive  church.  So  I  should  hope  to  see  the  sling 
and  the  stone  again  doing  their  work. 

That  you  will  excuse  this  liberty  I  have  taken,  I 
feel  confident,  and  beg  to  assure  you,  however  you 
may  decide  these  comparatively  minor  questions,  of 
the  deep  sympathy  and  fullest  confidence  of 
Yours  in  the  common  redemption, 

Mark  Hopkins. 

Cambridge,  Jan.  27,  1860. 
To  C.  J.  B. 

Dear  Friend:  —  We  will  wait  a  little  and  see.  The 
Master  will  show  the  way.  It  is  not  perfectly  clear. 
Having  waited  on  Him  very  deliberately,  at  every 
step  so  far,  I  must  not  anticipate  His  direction  now. 
Only  the  independence  must  not  be  individuahsm, 
nor  yet  religious  democracy.  The  independence  must 
be  in  the  souls  of  preacher  and  people,  —  but  never 
mere  isolation,  nor  living  out-of-doors, — nor  forget- 
ting history,  nor  denying  the  Past  and  God's  great 
Providence  in  His  Church.  We  must  take  care  and 
build  on  the  Rock  this  time. 

I  believe  in  order,  —  in  a  Church  Body  and  Form. 
Were  I  to  sit  down  with  you  and  the  friends  you 
speak  of,  I  think  I  could  satisfy  some  of  you  that  the 
noblest  and  best  way  to  bring  the  Gospel  to  the  people 
—  high  and  low,  poor  and  rich,  alike  —  would  be  to 


DIVINE    GUIDANCE  195 

offer  thein  the  service  of  the  CathoHc  ApostoHc  Church 
—  with  her  strength  and  stabihty,  her  beautiful 
"  Christian  Year,"  her  wonderful  variety  and  impressive 
adaptations,  her  fixed  order,  true  liberty,  and  free  con- 
ditions of  Communion,  her  gracious  ordinances, 
constant  appeal  to  Scripture,  and  tasteful  worship, 
her  superior  culture  of  the  spirit  of  reverence  —  the 
inmost  spirit  of  religion  —  the  constant  celebration 
of  Christ,  the  living  Head  of  the  Body,  and  His  cross, 
her  true  theory  of  the  training  up  of  the  young  in  rela- 
tions with  the  Church,  and  looking  to  Confirmation 
as  their  own  act,  and  her  large,  active,  zealous  spirit 
of  Missions  reaching  out  among  the  ignorant  and 
poor.  But  I  have  no  time  to  enumerate,  and  less  to 
explain  and  enforce  her  claims. 

I  came  home  from  the  old  farm  this  morning  at 
one  o'clock  and  found  twenty-five  letters  on  my  desk, 
besides  other  business. 

Yours  ever, 

F.  D.  H. 

From  his  own  pen  we  transcribe  Dr.  Huntington's 
reasons  for  entering  the  Episcopal  Church. 

"The  question  remaining  was  where  H.  should  go. 
.  .  .  Domestic  traditions  would  be  apt  to  point  out  to 
him  a  path  toward  the  popular  Orthodoxy.  In  his 
father's  library  most  of  the  theological  department  was 
supplied  by  Puritan  divines.  Having  seen  that  scheme 
in  its  actual  operation  in  the  kindred  varieties  of  Pres- 
byterian and  Congregational  organization,  together 
with  its  scientific  exposition  by  men  of  strong  dialec- 
tic power,  he  was  not  thereby  convinced  or  fed.  An 
opening    was    made    for   him   in    Boston   where  an 


196  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

independent  society  might  adopt  a  liturgy.  He  could 
see  no  root  or  affiliation,  no  brotherhood  or  sister- 
hood or  fellowship  for  such  a  product,  and  respect- 
fully shrank  from  such  an  undertaking.  If  asked 
why  he  should  not  join  such  respectable  and  active 
bodies  as  the  Baptists,  or  Methodists,  or  Sweden- 
borgians,  he  could  only  answer  by  asking  why  he 
should.  Toward  the  Roman  Catholic  Church,  apart 
from  its  heritage  in  common  with  all  the  faith- 
ful in  all  ages  and  countries,  a  Divine  Christ,  the 
Apostles'  Creed,  an  inspired  Bible,  and  a  spirit  of 
reverence  for  the  supernatural,  he  found  no  con- 
straining attraction.  Could  its  three  salient  chal- 
lenges have  been  sustained,  the  exceptional  attention 
he  gave  to  them  might  have  resulted  in  a  surrender. 
Moehler's  'Symbolism'  and  Maurice's  'Kingdom  of 
Christ'  were  laid  in  his  way  together  at  the  outset 
of  his  theological  education.  One  by  one  the  three 
papal  challenges  broke  down.  The  argument  of  a  final 
authority  overruling  and  extinguishing  private  judg- 
ment was  met  by  the  ready  reply :  '  If  I  take  you  at 
your  word,  I  shall  negative  your  position  by  employ- 
ing in  my  acceptance  of  it  the  very  faculty  and  right 
which  you  deny  that  I  possess.'  The  pretension  to 
catholicity  and  unity  fell  to  pieces  at  the  exposure  of 
the  included  heresies,  shielded  abominations,  schisms, 
intolerance,  and  papal  inconsistencies  in  the  Roman 
obedience.  The  pretension  to  apostolicity,  as  to  the 
differentials,  gave  way  completely  under  the  weight 
of  more  than  three  hundred  years  of  intervening 
church-life  and  conciliar  decree  between  the  last  of 
the  Apostles  and  anything  that  could  fairly  be  called 
a  papacy. 


DIVINE    GUIDANCE  197 

"  Judging  no  man  and  no  system,  knowing  well, 
and  praying  for  grace  to  remember,  that  to  one  Master 
only  each  must  stand  or  fall,  H.  believed  that  a  church 
to  which  he  could  whole-heartedly  and  gladly  yield 
both  allegiance  and  service  must  wear  upon  its  outer 
and  inner  constitution  certain  marks  of  truth.  Its 
creed  or  symbol  of  faith  must  satisfy  the  require- 
ments of  the  three  agreeing  tests  —  God  in  Holy 
Scripture ;  God  in  one  kingdom,  set  up  as  He  declared 
by  Jesus  Christ;  having  laws;  a  covenant,  a  door 
of  entrance,  a  history,  and  a  continuous  common  hfe; 
and  God  in  the  testimony  of  His  Spirit,  in  the  spirit 
and  mind  of  man  made  in  His  image.  Bound  by  this 
threefold  cord  and  upheld  by  this  threefold  support, 
a  church  promised  to  afford  him  room,  light,  safety. 
Its  entire  visible  economy,  in  sacraments,  orders,  and 
discipline,  must  be  a  direct  outgrowth  of  the  Word 
made  flesh,  or  the  Incarnation,  not  a  rule  imposed, 
but  a  divine  development.  Its  worship  must  be  lit- 
urgical, the  utterance  of  the  brotherhood  after  Scrip- 
tural models;  its  conditions  of  communion  must  be 
large  enough  to  make  admission  possible  for  uni- 
versal humanity,  men  of  every  nationality,  tempera- 
ment and  foregoing  conditions.  It  must  habitually 
pubHsh  the  moral  law  and  illustrate  it.  It  must 
protect  wedlock  and  the  household  by  religious  sanc- 
tions and  by  stringent  regulations  as  respects  mar- 
riage and  divorce.  It  must  invariably  recognize  as 
divine  and  primal  appointments  the  state  and  the 
family,  along  with  the  church,  and,  in  times  of  lawless- 
ness or  disorder  join  its  spiritual  force  with  that  of 
the  government,  and  all  the  more  if  government  is 
free.      Its  prescribed  offices  must  be  absolutely  im- 


198  FREDERIC    DAN   HUNTINGTON 

partial  and  uniform  as  respects  all  social  and  class 
distinctions,  from  the  highest  to  the  lowest.  It  must 
treat  character  as  a  growth  carried  forward  by  a 
disciplined  will,  under  regenerating  and  superhuman 
helps,  not  as  the  happy  issue  of  an  ecclesiastical  charm 
or  as  a  mere  supplement  to  an  emotional  '  experience ' 
and  must  therefore  make  the  training  of  character  the 
prime  element  in  education.  In  such  a  church  H. 
sought  out  and  thinks  he  found  a  home."  ^ 

The  following  letter  was  written  to  an  old  friend 
who  had  long  been  a  communicant  in  the  church. 

Cambridge,  Feb.  25,  1860. 
To  A.  J. 

It  should  be  from  me,  and  not  from  any  other  that 
you  learn  that,  this  week,  on  the  Eve  of  Ash  Wednes- 
day, I  sent  in  to  the  Standing  Committee  of  the 
Diocese  my  papers  making  application  to  be  con- 
sidered a  Candidate  for  Orders. 

Praise  to  Father,  Son  and  Holy  Ghost!  I  do  not 
now  regret  that  the  process  has  been  so  slow,  and  so 
painful.  It  only  emphasizes  the  joy  of  deliverance, 
and  gives  greater  assurance.  My  study  of  the  origin, 
history,  constitution,  and  practical  economy  of  the 
Sacred  Body  of  Christ  has  been  protracted  enough 
to  give  me  confidence;  and  my  enthusiasm  and  loyalty 
of  attachment  will  match  yours.  "  The  King's  Daugh- 
ter "  already  appears  to  me  "  all  glorious  within  "  as 
without.  Thro'  all  this  "  strife  of  tongues  "  the  Lord 
has  remembered  his  promise,  and  kept  me  safe  and 
warm  in  His  pavilion.  Sometimes  averted  and  altered 
faces  have  been  colder  than  the  frosty  skies ;  but  there 
^  The  Forum,  June,  1886. 


DIVINE    GUIDANCE  199 

has  been  Spring  within,  and  almost  every  mail  has 
brought  me  strong  and  tender  assurances  of  fellow- 
ship and  blessing  from  the  wise  and  good  all  over  the 
land,  —  not  a  few  from  the  Bishops  and  Clergy  of 
our  Church.  Of  course  the  Orthodox  Congregation- 
alists  will  be  disappointed  in  me.  But  many  of  them 
are  very  generous,  feeling  the  Evangelical  faith  to  be 
greater  than  the  Ecclesiastical  difference. 

Of  course  I  have  six  months  release  from  preach- 
ing,—  a  sound  and  wise  provision,  and  one  that  I 
need  for  calmer  thought  and  rest  and  study. 

Preaching  never  looked  so  attractive  as  now,  and 
Church  work  altogether,  for  I  never  had  so  much  to 
preach. 

In  1902  Rt.  Rev.  Thomas  M.  Clark,  then  Bishop 
of  Rhode  Island,  wrote  to  Bishop  Huntington  in  a 
letter  on  some  other  subject :  — 

'*  I  remember  a  day  when  you  were  settled  in  Boston 
as  a  Unitarian  minister,  I  went  around  with  Dr.  Vin- 
ton to  hear  you  preach,  and  on  the  way  home  he  said 
to  me,  'I  wish  that  you  and  I  could  preach  as  that 
man  does.'  I  remember  another  morning,  when  I 
was  living  on  Asylum  Street,  that  you  called  upon 
me  and  said  that  you  wished  to  talk  with  me  a  lit- 
tle while  about  something  in  the  Episcopal  Church 
which  interested  you,  *  especially,'  you  added,  *in  re- 
gard to  the  rite  of  confirmation,'  and  after  you  had 
left,  I  said  to  myself,  '  I  think  that  that  man  will  bring 
up  in  the  Episcopal  Church  before  he  dies.'  All  this 
occurred  fifty  or  sixty  years  ago  and  little  did  I  dream 
then  of  the  present  event." 

The    rector   of    Grace   Church,   Boston,   was   not 


200  FREDERIC    DAN   HUNTINGTON 

alone  among  the  clergy  who  had  remarked  the  in- 
dination  growing  in  Dr.  Huntington's  mind  towards 
their  own  Communion.  But  it  was  a  matter  of  signifi- 
cance to  himself  that  not  one  of  them  advanced  ar- 
gument or  persuasion  to  induce  him  to  enter  the 
ministry.  He  was  wont  to  say  afterw^ards  that  nothing 
could  have  impressed  upon  him  more  deeply  the  his- 
toric claims  of  Episcopacy  than  the  fact  that  its  fol- 
lowers were  content  to  leave  an  intelligent  and  earnest 
seeker  to  find  his  own  way  into  the  Church.  Among 
his  many  interests  and  intimacies  there  were  few 
close  ties  or  friendships  connecting  him  with  the  body 
of  Christians  toward  which  conviction  was  leading 
him.  His  old  and  valued  associate,  Dr.  J.  I.  T.  Cool- 
idge,  had  taken  orders  in  the  Episcopal  Church,  but 
he  had  left  Boston  and  become  assistant  minister  at 
St.  John's  Church,  Providence.  In  the  city  and  its 
environs  there  was  not  one  to  whom  he  turned  for 
sympathy  or  counsel.  It  will  be  seen  that  the  follow- 
ing letters  of  approval  and  welcome  were  all  from 
comparative  strangers,  but  they  were  none  the  less 
hearty  in  their  expressions. 

Chuech  of  the  Advent, 
Boston,  Jan.  5,  1860. 

Rev.  and  dear  Sir  :  —  I  am  reading  your  volume 
of  Sermons,  and  though  I  have  not  finished  the  pe- 
rusal of  all,  nor  indeed  of  any  as  I  hope  to  do,  for 
they  are  sermons  for  devotional  study  more  than  for 
reading,  merely,  yet  I  have  read  enough  to  fill  me  with 
joy  and  gratitude  to  God.  May  I  not  also  be  per- 
mitted to  express  my  thanks  to  you  ? 

To  me  it  is  very  marvelous  that  one  occupying 


DIVINE    GUIDANCE  201 

your  standpoint,  could  become  so  true  and  valiant 
a  defender  of  "the  faith  once  dehvered  to  the  saints." 
For  I  have  generally  regarded  such  an  attainment 
as  almost  impossible,  without  the  long-continued 
teaching  of  the  Church  Catholic  by  the  instrument- 
ality of  her  ecclesiastical  system  of  worship  and 
sacraments.  Pardon  me  for  saying  this,  which  I  did 
not  intend  when  I  first  took  up  my  pen,  my  object 
being  only  to  express  my  exceeding  thankfulness  and 

joy- 
Praying  God's  blessing  upon  you,  I  am, 
Very  respectfully. 

Your  obliged  friend, 

James  A.  Bolles. 

Baltimore,  Jan,  6,  1860. 
(Twelfth    Day). 

My  dear  Sir  :  —  I  cannot  forbear  to  write  to 
you  any  longer,  seeing  I  have  so  fine  an  opportunity. 
Miss  Phelps  called  on  me,  bright  and  early  this  fine 
morning  of  the  Feast,  to  show  me  your  letter  to  her, 
and  to  put  the  question  you  so  kindly  referred  to  me. 

But  before  answering  it,  "laud  be  to  God"  that 
it  is  in  your  heart  to  think  of  it !  May  the  blessed  Spirit 
ripen  into  action  so  good  a  thought,  and  show  you  the 
blessed  inheritance  you  will  provide  for  yourself  and 
your  children,  at  so  great  a  "price  —  for  it  is  a  great 
thing,  and  must  be  a  trial,  to  change  old  relations, 
and  lose  (perhaps)  old  friends.  I  assure  you  that 
any  who  can  love  you  less  for  so  conscientious  a  sac- 
rifice will  be  amply  made  up  to  you,  by  the  warm  and 
loving  hearts  that  will  welcome  you  to  the  fold  of 
your  fathers  again  and  by  that  ennobling  sense  which 


202  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

an  Anglican  enjoys,  of  sympathy  and  unity  with  the 
illustrious  men  of  our  race  and  with  the  worthies  of 
Primitive  Christendom.  Truly  —  the  insensibility 
of  our  educated  countrymen  to  the  loss  they  suffer 
by  living  out  of  the  religious  heritage  of  the  "Anglo- 
Saxon"  people,  and  out  of  sympathy  with  its  gi- 
gantic achievements,  is  (as  the  French  say)  ignoble. 

The  Canon  has  no  reference  to  the  prayers  of  a 
College-Chapel  which  are  virtually  "  Family-Prayers," 
—  and  which  any  bishop,  who  understands  himself, 
will  pronounce  entirely  out  of  the  limits  of  our  Legis- 
lation. If  it  should  be  requisite  I  am  sure  I  can  give 
you  the  opinions  of  some  of  our  best  Canonists  to 
that  eflPect. 

Believe  me,  I  am  greatly  obliged  to  you  for  all  your 
kindness. 

Faithfully  your  friend  and  servant, 

A.  Cleveland  Coxe. 

MiDDLETOWN,  CoNN.,  Feb.  2,  1860. 

Rev.  and  dear  Sir  :  —  I  am  almost  afraid  you 
will  think  me  impertinently  intrusive  in  addressing 
you;  and  yet  I  am  unwilling  to  refrain  any  longer, 
from  doing  what  I  have  long  desired  to  do. 

It  will  not  surprise  you  to  find  any  one  saying,  that 
he  has  followed  your  steps  .with  interest  and  thank- 
fulness. I  certainly  have  done  so,  feeling  both  in  no 
ordinary  degree;  and  I  am  sure  you  will  not  wonder, 
I  trust  you  will  not  be  displeased,  when  I  say,  that 
it  has  seemed  to  me,  that  the  branch  of  Christ's  Church 
in  which  I  am  an  unworthy  Minister,  might  fiLnally 
offer  you  a  house  of  rest. 

Whether  that  be  so  or  not,  I  beg  to  be  allowed  to  ex- 


DIVINE    GUIDANCE  203 

press  my  strong  sympathy  with  you,  in  these  con- 
victions, which  have  led  you  from  the  same  rehgious 
body  in  which  I  myself  was  educated,  and  for  many 
members  of  which  I  retain  a  very  strong  affection. 

My  dear  Sir,  may  I  ask  you,  at  your  convenience, 
and  if  and  when  it  is  agreeable  to  you,  to  favor  me 
with  a  visit  here  ?  I  have  perhaps  some  right  to  ask 
this,  of  which  you  do  not  know.  My  father  was  in 
his  lifetime  a  friend  of  yours.  And,  unless  I  am  in 
error,  a  brother  of  yours  married  a  near  relation  of 
mine.  In  our  New  England  usage,  this  may  be  an 
excuse  for  what,  even  with  it,  perhaps,  is  a  great 
liberty. 

At  all  events,  you  will  I  trust  permit  me  to  offer  the 
assurances   of   my   sincere    respect   and   admiration, 
and  to  say  that  I  am  very  sincerely  yours, 
Jno.  Williams, 

Assistant  Bishop  of  Connecticut. 

Philadelphia,  Feb.  4,  1860. 

Rev.  and  dear  Sir  :  —  I  hope  you  will  not  con- 
sider me  obtrusive,  if  in  obeying  an  impulse  that  has 
possessed  me  for  some  days,  I  presume  so  far  upon 
our  slight  acquaintance  as  to  offer  you  my  sincere 
sympathy  and  gratulation  in  reference  to  your  present 
position,  both  theological  and  ecclesiastical,  specially 
the  former. 

I  have  been,  in  common  with  many  others,  mindful 
of  the  progress  you  were  making  in  Divine  knowledge, 
from  your  articles  in  your  Magazine,  and  likewise 
aware  of  tlie  peculiarity  of  your  relations  at  Harvard, 
which  seemed  critical  of  great  results. 

When  I  learned  from  the  papers  that  you  had  re- 


204  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

signed  your  position  I  had  a  strong  feeling  of  disap- 
pointment amounting  almost  to  the  sense  of  defeat. 
Your  labors  in  the  college  seemed  so  prosperous 
that  there  needed  only  to  be  toleration  to  work  a 
thorough  change  in  the  character  of  the  Institution, 
and  for  this  the  friends  of  the  Evangelical  faith  hoped 
and  prayed. 

Of  course  it  is  no  matter  of  surprise  that  the  tolera- 
tion was  not  granted  freely  or  that  it  should  be  stren- 
uously refused,  just  in  proportion  to  the  force  of  the 
demand  and  the  activity  of  your  efforts.  But,  without 
knowing  precisely  how  much  of  personal  discomfort 
you  might  have  to  bear  in  consequence,  I  did  hope 
that  your  persistency  would  live  down  the  opposi- 
tion and  make  you  hero  and  confessor  even  if  martyr. 

I  do  not  of  course  presume  in  my  ignorance  to 
judge  of  the  propriety  of  your  resignation,  but  I  may 
tender  you  my  sympathy  as  a  brother  in  Christ  and 
my  thanks  for  the  noble  work  you  have  already  done. 

I  am  challenged  to  this,  all  the  more,  from  having 
read  with  delight  your  last  volume.  My  heart  goes 
out  towards  you  as  I  read,  and  I  feel  the  wish  to  take 
you  by  the  hand  and  say  so. 

I  remember,  moreover,  a  remark  you  made  to  me 
one  evening  at  Mr.  Savage's  in  reply  to  a  question  of 
mine,  viz.,  that  if  either  you  or  Mr.  Coohdge  would 
leave  your  positions  you  would  find  your  place  in  the 
Episcopal  Church. 

Your  feelings  may  be  changed  in  this  respect,  al- 
though I  suppose,  still,  that  both  your  deliberations 
and  your  feelings,  the  more  ripe  they  are,  will  deter- 
mine you  the  more  towards  this  conclusion  as  the 
repose  of  your  soul.    Be  this,  however,  as  the  guiding 


DIVINE    GUIDANCE  205 

spirit  shall  direct.     Let  me  assure  you  of  the  earnest 
and  fraternal  interest  with  which  I  am,  and  shall  be, 
Your  brother  in  Christ, 

Alex.  H.  Vinton. 

St.  Luke's  Hospital, 
New  York,  April  3,  1860. 

Rev.  and  dear  Sir  :  —  I  take  the  liberty  of  ad- 
dressing you  for  the  purpose  of  begging  your  accept- 
ance of  these  pamphlets,  herewith  sent,  which  I  flatter 
myself  you  may  look  over  with  some  interest,  —  at 
least,  they  will  serve  as  one  way  of  acknowledging 
the  great  interest  and  pleasure  with  which  I  have  read 
your  eloquent  and  more  generally  edifying  pages. 

I  am  more  in  your  debt  than  you  may  be  aware.  I 
have  not  waited  for  your  Episcopal  ordination  to 
let  your  voice  be  heard  in  my  church,  —  you  have 
preached  to  my  congregation  more  than  once,  and 
greatly  to  their  satisfaction,  having  learned  to  listen 
when  I  discourse  to  them  in  other  words  than  my 
own,  and  so  to  enjoy  the  privilege  of  hearing  the  great 
preachers,  the  living  or  dead. 

Greeting  you  as  an  able  minister  of  the  new  Testa- 
ment, —  and  welcoming  you  to  a  field  of  labor  in 
which  we  shall  be  nearer  neighbors,  I  am  yours. 
Very  respectfully  and  sincerely, 

W.  A.  Muhlenberg, 
Pastor  of  the  Church  of  the  Holy 
Communion  and  of  St.  Luke's  Hospital,  New  York. 

The  following  extract  from  a  letter  written  by  a 
churchwoman,  then  a  resident  in  Cambridge,  em- 
bodies the  sentiments  of  a  large  circle  of  devout  be- 


206  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

lievers  among  the  laity.  "How  can  I  express  to  you 
the  congratulations  and  thankfulness  I  feel,  that  you 
are  so  soon  to  become  joined  in  very  deed  to  the  visible 
body  of  Christ's  flock,  henceforth  to  devote  all  your 
energies  and  influence  to  doing  the  most  good  in  the 
best  way.  I  have  heard  that  you  said  that  Episcopalians 
had  done  nothing  to  persuade  you  to  join  them,  but 
they  did  pray,  and  how  earnestly,  God  knoweth." 

As  soon  as  his  final  decision  was  made,  Dr.  Hunt- 
ington found  a  home  for  his  wife  and  children  at  old 
Christ  Church,  Cambridge,  where  they  were  made 
welcome  by  the  excellent  rector.  Rev.  Dr.  Nicholas 
Hoppin.  There  was  much  that  was  agreeable  in  the 
ecclesiastical  impressions  gained  from  this  historic 
building;  "our  ancient  Church,"  as  it  is  called  by 
Oliver  Wendell  Holmes,  in  the  memorial  poem,  where 
he  describes  it  as  standing  beneath  the  loftier  spire 
of  the  edifice  on  the  other  side  of  the  old  burying 
ground. 

"  Like  sentinel  and  nun  they  keep 
Their  vigil  on  the  green ; 
One  seems  to  guard  and  one  to  weep 
The  dead  that  he  between." 

On  the  day  before  the  family  began  their  attendance 
at  Christ  Church,  George  Huntington  received  from 
his  father  the  following  words  of  counsel:  — 

Cambridge,  Jan.  21,  1860. 
Dear  George  :  —  In  order  to  help  you  in  a  full 
and  easy  observance  of  all  the  parts  of  the  Church- 
Service,  I  present  you  a  book  for  use  in  the  church, 
which    contains    not    only  the   "Common    Prayer," 


DIVINE    GUIDANCE  207 


wi 


itli  the  Psalms  and  Hymns,  but  also  the  Proper 
Scripture  Lessons  for  the  several  days,  in  order. 

In  becoming  accustomed  to  this  mode  of  worship, 
—  so  venerable,  impressive,  and  beautiful,  —  you  will 
find  much  assistance  in  beginning  with  an  entire 
compliance  with  all  the  usages  of  the  place.  Other- 
wise you  will  not  feel  in  harmony  with  those  about  you, 
and  a  sense  of  strangeness  will  hinder  your  prayers 
and  praise.  If  you  would  enter  happily  into  it,  and 
get  your  soul  engaged  in  it,  comply  with  each  rever- 
ential custom  from  the  outset.  What  is  half-done 
is  never  well  done.  I  refer  to  such  acts  as  kneeling, 
responding,  keeping  the  place,  following  the  minis- 
ter throughout.  It  is  a  proper  and  reverential  custom, 
on  first  taking  one's  seat  in  the  pew,  each  time,  to 
kneel  and  to  bend  and  cover  the  head,  saying  a  short 
petition  or  invocation  for  a  blessing  on  the  service; 
a  prayer  for  right  thoughts,  and  that  all  forbidden 
desires  and  fancies  may  be  kept  away;  that  a  real 
spiritual  benefit  may  be  obtained;  that  God's  Holy 
Word  and  Commandment  may  be  understood  and 
obeyed  faithfully  and  received  into  the  heart;  that 
the  Day  may  be  kept  holy,  and  the  place  holy;  with 
other  such  requests,  having  a  proper  beginning  and 
end,  like  the  Collects.  Indeed  you  can  take  the  lan- 
guage of  some  of  the  Collects  in  the  Book,  or  frame 
one  for  yourself.  If  you  like,  commit  a  form  to  memory. 
Only  let  it  be  sincere,  reverential,  and  not  omitted. 

Nothing  is  more  just  and  right  and  graceful,  and 
few  things  are  so  good,  for  the  manly  heart,  as  for 
a  man  to  go  upon  his  knees.  Begin  so,  and  you  will 
hereafter  be  glad. 

My  dear  George,  I  rejoice  in  you,  more  and  more, 


208  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

as  a  good,  obedient,  believing  son.  I  am  satisfied 
you  mean  to  follow  our  Saviour,  and  live  by  his  holy 
religion. 

May  that  blessed  religion  always  guide  you!  I 
desire  nothing  for  you  so  much,  because  there  is  no 
good  so  great. 

Affectionately  yours, 

F.  D.  H. 

In  the  month  of  May,  Professor  Huntington  went 
to  New  York,  Philadelphia,  and  Baltimore.  To  his 
son  he  wrote  a  long  account  of  St.  Luke's  Hospital, 
which  he  visited  with  Rev.  Dr.  Muhlenberg.  The 
spirit  of  the  Institution  and  of  its  founder  filled  him 
with  enthusiasm  and  delight. 

"As  I  walked  away,  seeing  what  this  good  man, 
with  his  beautiful  charity,  his  tranquil,  pure  face, 
and  white  locks  of  hair,  was  doing  as  he  moved  about 
tenderly  among  the  victims  of  disease  (beside  having 
started  a  very  strong  Free  Church  in  the  centre  of 
the  City  and  educated  many  young  men  for  the  min- 
istry), I  could  not  help  feeling  how  noble  his  life  had 
been,  and  how  willing  he  might  be  to  die.  Surely, 
he  will  have  the  promise:  'The  Lord  shall  make  all 
his  bed  for  him  in  his  sickness.' " 

To  HIS  Sister  : 

I  made  acquaintance  with  many  of  the  clergy  and 
laity  of  the  Church  I  have  joined,  and  of  course  it  was 
interesting  to  me  to  see  and  study  the  system,  where 
it  is  so  full  of  activity,  strength  and  missionary  zeal. 
May  some  of  the  lessons  I  learned  bear  fruit  in  my 
future  works! 


DIVINE    GUIDANCE  209 

After  his  last  sermon  preached  m  the  Congregational 
Church  in  Cambridge,  Sunday  evening,  Feb.  26, 
Dr.  Huntington,  now  a  candidate  for  Orders  in  the 
Episcopal  Church,  became  himself  a  worshiper  at 
Christ  Church,  teaching  a  large  Bible  class  in  con- 
nection with  the  Sunday-school.  On  the  feast  of  the 
Annunciation,  March  25,  1860,  he  received  the  rite 
of  Confirmation  at  the  hands  of  Rt.  Rev.  Manton 
Eastburn,  the  Bishop  of  Massachusetts.  His  wife 
and  eldest  son  and  daughter  were  confirmed  in  the 
class,  which  was  a  large  one,  including  a  number 
of  mature  people. 

Rev.  Dan  Huntington,  the  professor's  aged  father, 
had  been  reared  in  the  traditions  of  Connecticut 
Puritanism,  and  not  even  the  liberalizing  tendencies 
of  his  later  years  could  eradicate  its  prejudices.  He 
knew  nothing  of  bishops,  and  distrusted  with  all  his 
might  the  system  which  conferred  power  upon  them. 
The  needs  of  his  religious  nature  were  satisfied  with 
the  simplicity  of  the  ecclesiastical  training  of  his  fore- 
fathers. His  son's  departure  from  the  old  ways  of 
Congregational  polity  was  unintelligible  to  him.  The 
following  letter  was  written  to  allay  his  uneasiness, 
so  far  as  was  possible  with  an  old  man  long  past  the 
age  of  controversy. 

Cambridge,  March  17,  1860. 
My  dear  Father:  —  My  intention  now  is  to 
come  to  you  on  the  26th.,  Monday.  That  evening  I 
have  to  give  a  Charity  lecture  for  a  Baptist  (not  an 
Episcopal)  Parish,  in  Springfield.  Most  of  my  ser- 
vices in  that  line  are  given  to  denominations  that  I 
do  not  belong  to.    In  fact  they  give  me  so  much  to  do 


210  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

in  that  way  that  I  am  busy  enough  without  doing  much 
preaching.  You  have  misapprehended  Bishop  East- 
burn  entirely.  If  you  knew  him  at  all,  you  would  re- 
spect and  love  him.  He  is  one  of  the  most  earnest  and 
devoted  Christians  I  have  ever  seen,  —  simple  in  his 
manners,  kind  in  his  disposition,  loving  all  those  who 
love  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  glad  to  cooperate  with 
them  in  helping  on  the  kingdom  of  Heaven  among 
men.  He  has  nothing  at  all  to  do  with  affording  me 
this  pleasant  and  profitable  vacation,  which  I  needed 
so  much  and  am  enjoying  so  much,  —  except  to  carry 
out  a  wise  and  useful  rule  of  the  Church  to  which 
he  belongs,  as  he  is  in  duty  bound  to  do.  Indeed  he 
has  not  come  near  me  with  any  interposition  or 
command  on  the  subject.  I  have  joined  a  branch  of  the 
Church  where  this  rule  is  followed,  with  my  eyes 
open,  and  of  course  I  choose  to  follow  the  rule.  I 
consider  it,  for  many  reasons,  a  wise  and  good  one, 
—  in  my  case  as  well  as  others.  But  Bishop  Eastbum 
has  no  pleasure  in  my  omitting  to  preach.  Indeed 
he  has  done  and  said  everything  that  a  Christian 
gentleman  could  do  and  say,  to  make  my  way  easy 
and  pleasant  and  to  avoid  the  least  appearance  of  dic- 
tation. He  would  be  glad  to  have  me  come  and  be  his 
colleague  in  old  Trinity  Church.  Indeed,  I  think,  he 
would  resign  his  ministry  there,  and  give  it  up  to  me 
altogether,  if  I  would  accept  it. 

You  speak  of  my  "  not  doing  anything  which  can- 
not be  undone."  Of  course  the  way  out  of  any  Church 
is  open,  and  whenever  I  wish  to  do  so,  I  can  leave  one 
Fold  for  another.  But  for  the  present  I  love  the  Epis- 
copal Church.  I  honor  it  more  and  more;  I  long  to 
be  at  work  within  it;    Providence  permitting,  I  shall 


DIVINE    GUIDANCE  211 

be  a  Preacher  in  it  next  Fall.  I  am  ashamed  to  have 
been  so  long  ignorant  of  its  claims  to  belief  and  attach- 
ment; its  historical  foundation ;  its  glorious  Saints  and 
Martyrs;  its  liberty  and  piety;  its  generous  and  com- 
prehensive doctrine  of  the  Communion;  its  dignified, 
orderly,  and  impressive  worship;  its  internal  peace 
and  harmony;  its  love  for  children  and  youth.  When 
you  consider  what  I  have  given  up  and  gone  thro' 
for  the  sake  of  belonging  to  it,  you  will  not  suppose 
that  I  can  be  easily  turned  aside  from  the  course  in 
which  God  is  leading  me.  I  am  sorry  it  is  not  the  way 
of  my  fathers.  But  I  am  sure  it  is  the  way  of  my 
fathers'  fathers,  for  ages. 

Let  us  be  less  anxious  to  have  those  we  love  think 
just  as  we  do.  God's  love  is  very  large.  Heaven  is 
open  to  all  that  love,  believe  and  obey  — 

"  Where  the  Saints  of  all  ages  in  harmony  meet, 
Their  Saviour  and  brethren  transported  to  greet." 

Wherein  we  differ  let  us  wait  till  we  reach  the 
world  of  light. 

Your  very  affectionate  son, 

Frederic. 


CHAPTER   VII 

THE  PASTOR   AND    HIS    FLOCK 

"Whose  delectable  mountains  are  these,  and  whose  are  the  sheep 
that  feed  them  ?  The  mountains  are  Emmanuel-land,  and  are  within 
sight  of  his  city,  and  the  sheep  are  his." 

Those  who  rejoice  in  the  present  strength  and  ac- 
tivity of  the  Episcopal  Church  in  Boston  will  recall 
with  interest  the  conditions  existing  half  a  century 
ago.  In  those  days  its  character  was  distinguished 
to  a  marked  degree  by  a  strict  conservatism,  a  dig- 
nified respectability,  an  acknowledged  exclusiveness. 
It  stood  with  emphasis  for  what  it  represented,  but 
there  was  little  concern  for  church  extension.  The 
head  of  the  diocese  adhered  strongly  to  the  tenets 
of  doctrine  which  are  distinctly  Protestant.  "^ATiile 
his  personal  quahties  made  him  decisive  in  adminis- 
tration and  unfaltering  in  pulpit  utterance,  in  leader- 
ship of  men  on  the  delicate  and  difficult  lines  of  the 
episcopate  his  jurisdiction  failed  to  leave  a  perma- 
nent impress.  The  ecclesiastical  matters  which  most 
occupied  his  mind  were  connected  with  what  was  then 
known  as  the  "Tractarian  movement,"  just  coming 
into  prominence,  and  which  aroused  his  intense  oppo- 
sition. But  in  the  years  following  1860,  wliile  the  use 
of  altar  decorations  and  the  practice  of  unaccustomed 
ceremonials  were  openly  rebuked,  there  was  no  such 
direct  contention  over  matters  of  ritual  as  to  disturb 


THE    PASTOR   AND    HIS    FLOCK  213 

the  currents  of  Church  Hfe.  Of  the  sixty-seven  parishes 
in  Massachusetts  there  were  at  that  time  but  seven 
directly  within  the  city  of  Boston,  all  stable  and  pros- 
perous; Trinity  under  the  pastorate  of  Bishop  East- 
burn  himself;  the  Church  of  the  Advent,  devotional 
in  spirit  and  zealous  in  good  works;  and  St.  Paul's, 
long  influenced  by  the  powerful  ministry  of  Dr. 
Alexander  Vinton.  At  the  latter's  departure  in  1858, 
an  unsettled  feeling  arose  among  some  of  his  parish- 
ioners. From  this  and  other  causes  it  became  evident 
to  men's  minds  that  the  time  was  ripe  for  a  new  parish. 
It  seemed  natural  that  it  should  be  established  west 
of  the  Public  Garden,  on  the  new-made  land  which 
promised  soon  to  be  occupied  as  a  residence  portion 
of  the  city. 

There  was  much  involved,  however,  beyond  the  ad- 
vantages derived  from  selecting  a  site  in  a  locality 
likely  to  be  surrounded  by  an  influential  population. 
To  the  minds  of  those  associated  with  this  enterprise, 
came  undoubtedly  an  impulse  from  the  religious  Re- 
vival in  England,  following  the  Oxford  pubhcations, 
balanced  by  strongly  Puritan  tendencies,  prejudice 
against  externalism,  distrust  of  clerical  prerogative 
and  dread  of  a  sacramental  system.  Another  in- 
fluence, especially  attractive  to  a  certain  class  of 
minds,  was  the  school  of  thought,  led  by  Arnold  and 
Maurice,  which  aroused  enthusiasm  on  lines  sure  to  be 
predominant  in  a  new  organization.  Some  of  those 
who  had  made  part  of  the  congregation  at  St.  Paul's 
were  drawn  thither  from  the  Congregational  body 
by  Dr.  Vinton's  deep  scriptural  instruction.  To  their 
earnest  seeking  after  truth  the  devotional  spirit  of  the 
liturgy  made  a  strong  appeal.    Others  came  from  the 


214  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

Unitarian  societies  disaffected  with  Theodore  Parker's 
popularity  in  his  own  denomination,  and  deprecating 
further  departure  from  the  hberal  thought  of  Dr. 
Channing's  day.  The  agitation  on  political  affairs, 
the  unrest  of  approaching  civil  strife,  tended  to  make 
this  period  one  when  the  sundering  of  old  ties  and  the 
forming  of  new  ones  seemed  a  part  of  the  religious 
as  well  as  of  the  outer  world.  The  Httle  band  whom 
these  compelling  forces  drew  together,  met  for  the  first 
time  at  the  residence  of  Dr.  William  R.  Lawrence,  at 
98  Beacon  Street,  on  March  17,  1860,  to  take  the  ini- 
tial steps  towards  the  formation  of  a  new  parish,  which 
organized  as  Emmanuel  Church,  on  Easter  Monday, 
April  27,  1860. 

Already  an  informal  engagement  had  been  made 
with  Dr.  Huntington,  and  it  seemed  most  suitable 
that  the  choice  of  a  rector  should  fall  upon  one  who 
was  conspicuous  for  a  course  which  some  of  them 
had  followed,  and  who  held  in  his  otvti  nature  the 
differing  elements  represented  in  the  movement  itself. 
No  man  could  be  better  fitted  to  control  the  attention 
of  hearers,  and  to  unite  into  a  harmonious  parish, 
those  who  were  descendants  of  the  old  Standing 
Order  of  New  England,  Boston  liberals,  Evangelical 
behevers,  and  the  new  generation  who  sought  a  more 
catholic  observance  of  the  Christian  year,  and  a 
fuller  expression  of  the  spiritual  beauty  of  the  Church's 
services,  than  a  preacher  who  had  been  reared  in 
Calvinism,  nurtured  under  the  noble  utterances  of  the 
early  Unitarian  divines,  and  yet,  through  conviction 
as  well  as  taste  and  inclination,  had  found  his  way  into 
the  bosom  of  the  Mother  Church. 

It  has  been  seen  that  in  the  consideration  of  the 


THE    PASTOR    AND    HIS    FLOCK  215 

future,  various  paths  opened  before  the  Plummer 
professor,  on  his  resignation.  There  was  at  the  first 
some  fascination  in  the  suggestion  which  presented 
itself  unbidden  to  his  imagination,  of  an  independent 
Society,  fashioned  on  his  own  lines,  welcoming  those 
who  were  of  congenial  taste  and  religious  affinity. 
But  this  vision  melted  before  the  grave  question  whither 
it  would  ultimately  send  youth,  trained  under  an  indi- 
vidual enterprise,  and  going  out  from  its  fold.  It  gave 
place  to  the  strong  claims  of  an  historic  Episcopate, 
and  an  organized  Christianity,  to  the  grander  concep- 
tion of  the  minister  as  an  ambassador  of  the  King- 
dom of  Christ. 

One  of  the  first  proposals  came  as  an  offer  of  the 
place  of  assistant  minister  at  Trinity  Church,  Bos- 
ton, on  the  Green  Foundation.  In  his  letter  of  reply. 
Dr.  Huntington  acknowledges  the  honor  done  him 
and  expresses  a  strong  sense  of  the  attractions  held 
out,  but  explains  that  he  had  already  pledged  himself 
to  another  field  of  labor.  How  ardently  this  latter 
fired  his  enthusiasm  and  appealed  to  his  aims  and 
hopes,  may  be  seen  from  the  letter  announcing  the 
decisive  action  for  the  formation  of  the  new  parish. 

Cambridge,  May  1,  1860. 
To  A.  J. 

The  gracious  Head  of  the  Fold  has  permitted  the 
organization  of  the  Parish  of  "Emmanuel  Church." 
I  think  you  will  like  the  holy,  significant,  and  musical 
Name,  and  see  its  fitness  as  emphasizing  the  great 
doctrine  which  the  Spirit  has  revealed  to  me.  The  plan 
IS  to  worship  in  a  hired  hall  for  a  year  or  more,  while 
the  Church-building  is  erected  on  the  new  lands  at 


216  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

the  foot  of  the  PubHc  Garden;  and  to  begin  in  Sep- 
tember, immediately  after  my  ordination  as  Deacon, 
the  date  of  which  is  not  yet  fixed.  Everything  seems 
sufficiently  promising  so  far.  The  men  enlisted  are 
in  earnest,  and  if  God  will  we  shall  prosper.  That 
"  God  with  us  "  may  there  manifest  his  glory  in  turning 
souls  from  error  to  truth,  and  from  Satan  to  himself, 
let  us  humbly  and  faithfully  pray. 

My  confidence,  hope  and  joy  and  peace  in  the 
ministry,  were  never  before  what  they  are  now. 

On  September  12,  1860,  Frederic  Dan  Huntington 
was  admitted  to  the  Order  of  Deacons  in  Trinity 
Church,  Boston,  by  the  Rt.  Rev.  Manton  Eastbum, 
Bishop  of  Massachusetts.  The  Rt.  Rev.  George  Bur- 
gess of  the  diocese  of  Maine  preached  the  sermon. 
On  the  following  Sunday  the  opening  devotional  ser- 
vices of  Emmanuel  Church  were  held  by  the  new 
rector  at  the  temporary  place  of  worship  in  Mechanics' 
Hall,  Bedford  Street.  A  large  congregation  assembled, 
and  the  first  sermon  before  the  flock  thus  gathered 
together  was  on  the  subject  of  *'  The  Cross,  its  three- 
fold glory,  and  its  blessing." 

In  a  communication,  the  previous  June,  to  one  of 
the  prominent  laymen  of  the  parish.  Dr.  Huntington 
had  suggested  that  provision  be  made  in  the  hall 
for  those  who  could  not  afford  to  pay  regularly  for 
seats.  This  was  the  first  of  the  protests,  which  he 
never  ceased  to  repeat,  against  the  policy  of  hired 
pews  in  a  sanctuary.  A  courteous  reply  from  his 
correspondent,  Dr.  William  R.  Lawrence,  engages 
that  *'  provision  will  be  cheerfully  made  by  sittings 
appropriate  to  such  use,  and  also  by  seats  hired  and 


THE    PASTOR   AND    HIS    FLOCK  217 

not  used  by  those  who  have  united  with  us.  Nearly 
all  have  taken  more  seats  than  they  require  for  their 
families."  In  the  leaflet  which  was  immediately  dis- 
tributed among  the  worshipers,  provision  was  made 
for  all  the  ministrations  of  a  thoroughly  equipped 
parish,  both  on  the  side  of  the  rector  and  of  his  flock. 
Each  week,  was  a  Friday  evening  service  and  a  Wed- 
nesday afternoon  Bible  class.  For  the  carrying  of  the 
Gospel  and  its  beneficent  influences,  spiritual  and 
temporal,  to  the  less  privileged,  ten  departments  of 
work  were  planned,  with  an  introductory  note-  inti- 
mating that  every  regular  attendant  at  divine  worship 
was  expected  to  select  from  them  one  or  more  lines 
of  personal  service. 

From  the  beginning  Emmanuel  was  a  working 
church.  However  powerful  the  preaching  might  be 
in  attracting  hearers  and  building  up  a  strong  con- 
gregation, it  was  not  upon  spoken  words  from  the 
pulpit,  but  by  the  living  testimony  of  devout  believ- 
ers, through  their  own  acts  of  self-sacrifice,  that  the 
record  of  the  future  was  to  depend.  The  training  of 
the  children  of  the  flock,  with  the  necessary  measures 
for  the  conduct  of  an  efficient  Sunday-school,  came 
first  in  importance,  and  connected  with  it  were 
committees  for  looking  up  3^outh  who  were  strangers 
in  the  city,  for  hospitality  to  occasional  worshipers, 
for  the  direction  and  observance  of  the  festivals  of 
the  Church.  In  the  line  of  aggressive  missionary 
work  was  the  opening  of  a  Sunday-school  in  the  neg- 
lected portion  of  the  city,  care  and  visiting  of  the 
sick,  hospital  relief,  and  charitable  assistance  to 
the  indigent.  The  rector  himself  opened  the  Mission 
on  the  evening  of  Jan.  6,  1861.    Before  the  New  Year 


218  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

the  first  confirmation  in  Emmanuel  parish  was  held 
at  Trinity  Church,  when  a  large  class  was  presented, 
the  greater  number  of  persons  being  in  middle  life. 

Frederic  Dan  Huntington  was  advanced  to  the 
Priesthood  on  March  22,  1861,  in  the  Church  of  the 
Messiah,  Boston,  by  the  Bishop  of  the  diocese,  Rt. 
Rev.  Man  ton  Eastburn.  The  sermon  was  preached 
by  the  Rev.  Henry  Burroughs. 

After  the  organization  of  the  parish  there  had  been 
no  delay  in  preparing  plans  and  prosecuting  the  work 
of  erecting  a  suitable  church  edifice.  The  site  was 
on  Newbury  Street,  just  beyond  the  Public  Garden, 
which  at  that  time  formed  the  western  boundary  of  the 
improved  land.  Beyond,  where  had  been  the  waters 
of  the  Back  Bay,  was  a  wilderness,  with  the  gravel- 
trains  bringing  in  the  substratum  for  the  new  lands 
and  the  tall  skeletons  of  the  pile-driving  machines 
outlined  against  the  sky.  Arlington  Street  was  soon 
appropriated  to  stately  private  residences.  From 
thence  to  the  Common,  Boylston  Street  was  in  those 
days  a  quiet  residence  district.  It  was  here,  conven- 
iently near  the  new  church,  that  Dr.  Huntington 
established  his  household.  The  home  seemed  small, 
after  the  commodious  quarters  in  Cambridge,  but  it 
was  made  sufiicient  not  only  for  the  family  but 
for  parochial  purposes.  The  rector's  study  was  in 
the  back  parlor,  and  the  front  room  served  for  com- 
mittee meetings,  parish  conferences,  and  the  weekly 
Bible  class.  While,  on  one  side  of  the  folding-doors, 
the  busy  pastor  wrote  his  sermons  or  listened  to  varied 
appeals  for  sympathy  or  counsel,  on  the  other  the  young 
assistant  rector  held  interviews  with  his  corps  of 
helpers  and  inaugurated  the  Mission   work.      Rev. 


THE    PASTOR   AND    HIS    FLOCK  219 

William  Reed  Huntington  began  his  ministry  in  a 
little  room  over  a  carpenter's  shop.  Giving  part  of 
his  time  on  Sundays  to  Emmanuel  Church,  most  of 
his  energies  were  devoted  to  seeking  out  and  instruct- 
ing stray  souls  in  that  neglected  district  which  made 
up  the  Mission  field.  In  this  rude  chapel  Dr.  Hunt- 
ington himself  loved  to  preach.  His  own  vision  for 
Emmanuel  had  been  that  of  a  great  People's  Church. 
This  plan  was  not  carried  into  effect,  partly  because 
the  minds  of  those  controlling  the  movement  for  a 
new  parish  were  not  prepared  for  all  that  was  involved 
in  the  abandonment  of  a  system  of  rented  pews,  and 
partly  because  the  stress  of  financial  uncertainty, 
accompanying  civil  disturbance,  limited  the  size  of 
the  structure.  A  further  modification  in  the  plans 
adopted  by  the  building  committee  caused  Dr.  Hunt- 
ington some  disappointment.  He  greatly  deprecated 
their  decision  to  erect  the  side  and  rear  walls  of 
brick,  with  the  fa9ade  only  of  stone.  With  the  style 
of  the  architecture,  the  form,  proportions,  and  details 
he  was  abundantly  satisfied.  But  he  earnestly  ad- 
vocated a  spirit  of  genuinenesss  in  the  complete 
work.  "A  building  with  a  front  of  one  material  for 
show,  and  an  inferior  material  for  the  parts  a  little  less 
exposed,  is  an  insincere  building."  In  spite  of  this 
appeal,  made  at  some  length  and  with  all  the  argu- 
ments at  his  command,  the  building  committee  felt 
that  they  had  a  practical  situation  to  meet.  In  order 
to  keep  within  the  funds  placed  in  their  hands  they 
were  forced  to  make  some  changes  in  the  original  plan. 
Permission  however  was  given  to  the  rector  to  raise 
an  additional  sum  of  five  thousand  dollars  to  carry 
out  the  design.   One  subscription  of  a  thousand  dollars 


220  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

was  made,  but  this  was  all.  The  "sermon  in  stones," 
so  much  in  accordance  wdth  his  otnti  integrity  of  char- 
acter was  not  to  be,  but  in  other  respects  the  beautiful 
structure  was  a  joy  and  a  cause  of  thanksgiving  to 
the  preacher  whose  ringing  words  echoed  within  its  walls 
for  seven  years.  In  his  weekly  record  of  Services  Dr. 
Huntington  writes  on  December  15,  1861:  Emmanuel 
Church  opened,  Laus  Deo! 

The  consecration  took  place  April  24,  1862,  Rev. 
Dr.  Muhlenberg  preaching  the  sermon.  In  his  an- 
nual address  to  the  Convention  of  the  diocese  Bishop 
Eastbum  says  of  this  auspicious  occasion  :  "May 
the  sanctuary  thus  dedicated  to  the  Most  High  be 
ever  a  place  in  which  His  presence  shall  dwell,  and  in 
which  many  souls,  through  the  blessing  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  in  the  Ministry  of  the  Word,  shall  be  bom  into 
the  new  life  of  repentance  toward  God,  and  faith  toward 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ ; "  a  prayer  of  Episcopal  bene- 
diction which  we  must  believe  to  have  been  answered, 
in  the  fullness  of  Divine  mercy. 

One  of  the  first  questions  which  the  rector  of 
the  new  parish  had  to  ineet  was  that  of  his  attitude 
towards  those  parties  within  the  Church  known  as 
"High"  and  "Low,"  a  nomenclature  now  happily 
less  often  applied.  Even  before  his  ordination  a  note 
of  timidity  was  sounded  through  the  remonstrance  of 
an  influential  member  of  the  society  just  inaugurated. 
Some  words  uttered  by  Dr.  Huntington  on  a  public 
occasion,  were  repeated  with  alarm,  lest  in  exalting 
the  Church  which  had  lately  won  his  allegiance  he 
might  be  open  to  distrust  by  those  who,  as  the  good 
layman  admitted,  were  ready  "to  scent  Puseyism 
in  a  gesture,  and  Popery  in  the  cut  of  a  garment." 


THE    PASTOR    AND    HIS    FLOCK  221 

In  the  following  spring  a  letter  of  inquiry  from  an- 
other source  elicited  the  following  more  detailed  re- 
joinder. 

Boston,  April  19,  1861. 

My  dear  Sir  :  —  Perhaps  it  would  comport  best 
with  my  practice,  not  to  say  ray  rule,  to  offer  to  your 
letter  the  general  reply  that  in  all  party  questions 
in  the  Episcopal  Church  I  take  little  interest,  and  can 
take  no  side.  A  certain  tone  of  manly  frankness  in 
your  communication,  however,  touches  me,  and 
moves  me  to  a  different  course. 

To  an  earnest  mind  standing  without  this  Branch 
of  Christ's  Flock,  the  evils  and  mischiefs  of  its  party 
division  appear  even  greater  than  they  do  within  it. 
Multitudes,  throughout  the  country,  are  seen  to  be 
restrained  from  joining  it  by  this  unhappy  cause.  I 
came  in,  after  a  very  careful  and  patient  study  of  the 
religious  systems  prevailing  about  us,  —  under  a  de- 
liberate and  thorough  conviction  that  our  ecclesias- 
tical economy,  tho'  by  no  means  perfect,  is  yet,  by 
far,  more  in  conformity  with  the  gospel  plan  and  the 
primitive  pattern  than  any  other,  better  suited  to  the 
hearts  of  men,  and  better  adapted  to  all  the  proper 
offices  of  the  Lord's  living  Body  in  this  age  and  coun- 
try. The  times  and  sacrifices  incidental  to  my  change 
of  relations,  the  attention  necessarily  given  to  the 
distinctive  points,  and  the  large  opportunity  I  have 
had  for  observing  denominational  peculiarities,  have 
naturally  occasioned  in  me,  I  suppose,  a  strong  and 
lively  preference  for  the  Church  of  my  adoption. 
On  the  other  hand,  the  greater  part  of  the  partisan  con- 
troversy in  this  Church  seems  to  me  weak  and  wrong. 


222  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

I  do  not  mean  to  deny  that  real  and  important  differences 
exist  among  us,  such  as  a  due  honor  for  the  Master 
and  his  Truth  will  not  allow  us  wholly  to  ignore.  It 
may  even  be  said  that  there  are  two  definable  ten- 
dencies at  work,  leading  to  two  extremes.  A  few  per- 
sons, on  either  side,  may  have  traveled  to  those  ex- 
tremes. But  the  vast  majority  do  not  admit  of  any 
such  twofold  classification.  There  is  no  clear  line 
dividing  them.  They  are  of  all  kinds,  shades  and 
intermixtures.  For  example,  it  is  evident  that  there 
is  such  a  thing  as  an  ultra-ecclesiastical,  a  sacramen- 
tarian  view  of  Christianity  which  is  dangerous  and 
false,  not  in  Romanism  only,  but  also  within  our  Pro- 
testant Episcopal  organization.  I  have  no  sort  of 
sympathy  with  it.  I  protest  against  it,  with  all  the 
convictions  of  my  soul,  and  with  all  my  might.  And 
yet  when  I  hear  men  who  seem  to  me  humble,  and 
holy,  and  Christian  sweepingly  charged  with  setting  up 
sacraments  before  Christ,  the  sin  of  uncharitableness 
seems  to  me  equal  to  the  sin  of  bad  doctrine.  The 
language  is  too  indiscriminate,  and  names  of  the 
parties  are  vaguely,  erroneously,  and  sometimes 
cruelly  applied.  .  .  . 

As  to  Ceremonialism,  if  I  know  myself  at  all,  it 
is  neither  in  my  blood,  my  tastes,  my  culture,  nor  my 
convictions.  I  do  not  feel  drawn  that  way.  In  pos- 
tures, and  decorations,  and  all  that  pertains  to  what 
are  commonly  called  externals,  I  want  nothing  beyond 
the  dignified,  decent  and  reverent  observances  common 
to  the  great  majority  of  Church  people  in  both  par- 
ties. In  most  matters  of  administration  I  probably 
incline  to  rather  more  than  the  usual  liberty  and  variety, 
where  the  Prayer-Boole  and  Canons  do  not  direct.  .  .  . 


THE    PASTOR   AND    HIS    FLOCK  223 

Much  as  I  love  this  ApostoHcal  Order,  my  whole 
life  would  have  been  Hved  to  little  purpose  if  I  did  not 
recognize  the  Christianity  of  other  Households  of 
Faith.  I  believe  in  a  rubrical  and  spiritual  worship, 
an  Evangelical  pulpit,  and  a  canonical  and  liberal 
discipline.  But  you  propose  a  specific  inquiry,  or  a 
particular  case  supposed.  Should  I  vote  in  Convention 
on  a  strictly  party  question,  with  the  delegates  of 
my  parish  for  the  sake  of  Parish  agreement  ?  I  can- 
not answer  that  because  the  case  does  not  stand  out 
simple  and  clear  before  my  mind.  With  my  limited 
knowledge  of  Convention  proceedings,  it  is  not  easy 
to  conceive  of  a  purely  party  question  divested  of  all 
other  elements.  If  such  a  question  should  ever  arise, 
I  should  be  Hkely  to  feel  very  little  respect  for  it.  I 
should  hate  to  vote  on  it  at  all.  If  voting  at  all,  I 
should  try  so  to  vote  as  not  to  express  a  party-feeling. 
As  to  the  delegates,  I  should  be  perhaps  as  likely  to 
expect  them  to  vote  with  me,  as  to  conform  my  vote 
to  theirs.  But,  as  I  said,  I  cannot  shape  the  condition  in 
my  thoughts  clearly  enough  for  a  satisfactory  reply. 

Permit  me  to  add  that  I  am  glad  to  see  an  intelH- 
gent  layman  sufficiently  interested  in  these  subjects 
to  take  the  trouble  to  seek  for  opinions  of  no  more 
moment  than  mine. 

I  confide  in  your  promise  to  make  no  public  use  of 
these  private  words  and  no  unnecessary  reference  to 
them. 

Yours  very  sincerely, 

F.  D.  Huntington. 

An  indorsement  on  the  above  shows  that  the  MS. 
was  returned  after  a  copy  was  taken  to  read  to  the 


224  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

vestry  of  Emmanuel  Church.  Its  occasion  was  evi- 
dently the  approaching  Convention  of  the  diocese  of 
Massachusetts,  the  first  at  which  Dr.  Huntington 
took  his  place  among  the  clerical  members,  although 
he  had  been  afforded  a  seat  by  courtesy  in  the  pre- 
vious May,  while  a  candidate  for  Holy  Orders. 
Henceforth,  he  was  to  be  a  power  for  the  extension 
of  Christ's  kingdom  in  that  assembly,  which  he  at- 
tended for  eight  succeeding  sessions.  In  June,  1863, 
he  was  made  by  the  Board  of  Missions  chairman 
of  the  Executive  committee,  a  special  missionary 
agency,  at  that  time  appointed  to  *'  present  the  cause 
of  missions  in  such  churches  as  might  be  willing  to 
receive  their  appeal."  The  two  clergymen  thus  em- 
powered to  begin  an  active  campaign  of  missionary 
enlightenment  were  Dr.  George  M.  Randall,  rector 
of  the  Church  of  the  Messiah,  Boston,  later  a  pioneer 
bishop  in  the  West,  and  the  rector  of  Emmanuel 
Church.  Dr.  Huntington  threw  himself  into  this 
enterprise  with  all  the  ardor  of  his  nature,  and  that 
energy  which  delighted  to  endure  fatigue  and  over- 
come difficulties.  In  his  Report  to  the  Convention 
of  May,  1864,  he  says  of  himself  and  his  co-worker, 
that  "they  have  traveled  over  nearly  all  parts  of  the 
territory  of  the  State  and  have  visited  and  addressed, 
besides  the  District  Associations,  thirty-five  Parishes." 
A  plan  of  systematic  offerings  for  missions  was  recom- 
mended in  these  visits,  so  as  to  "encourage  not  only 
every  man  and  every  woman  but  every  child  to  sig- 
nify in  writing  beforehand  how  much  each  one  would 
give  at  stated  intervals.  The  time  seems  propitious 
for  extending  the  knowledge  and  influence  of  our 
Church." 


THE    PASTOR    AND    HIS    FLOCK  225 

In  1865  Dr.  Huntington  was  elected  chairman  of  a 
committee  on  new  parishes,  a  position  which  brought 
him  in  close  connection  with  the  organized  efforts  for 
establishing  the  church  in  growing  towns  and  in  those 
districts  where  the  services  of  the  church  had  not  been 
held.  These  places  he  personally  assisted,  often  by 
his  own  visits  and  preaching,  by  providing  lay-readers 
and  clerical  supplies,  and  obtaining  gifts  and  stipends 
to  continue  the  work.  The  first  service  held  in  the 
town  of  Wobum  was  arranged  through  him  and  a 
missionary  station  estabhshed.  During  the  early 
months  of  his  ministry  in  Boston  he  gave  his  Sunday 
evenings  to  St.  Peter's,  Cambridgeport,  then  weak 
and  in  need  of  assistance.  From  the  beginning  of  the 
Maiden  parish  he  interested  himself  in  its  welfare, 
continuing  his  aid  until  his  son.  Rev.  George  Putnam 
Huntington,  after  serving  as  a  lay-reader,  was  called 
to  the  rectorship.  The  first  services  at  Grace  Church, 
Amherst,  an  important  point  in  the  diocese,  were  held 
by  Dr.  Huntington  himself  during  his  summer  vaca- 
tion in  1864,  and  he  entered  into  the  organization  of 
the  parish  with  all  the  enthusiasm  which  his  love  for 
his  alma  mater,  and  for  the  locality  of  his  birth,  nat- 
urally inspired.  The  beautiful  stone  church,  in  the 
erection  of  which  he  took  much  delight,  was  largely 
due  to  his  efforts.  For  the  remainder  of  his  Hfe  Dr. 
Huntington  rejoiced  to  minister  at  the  altar  of  this 
sanctuary  which  became  a  place  of  worship  for  his 
household  while  at  Hadley. 

It  was  the  custom  at  Emmanuel  to  hold  the  second 
service  on  the  Lord's  day  in  the  afternoon,  and  this 
left  the  rector  free  to  afford  assistance  on  Sunday  even- 
ings to  other  parishes.    Sometimes  a  call  came  for  an 


226  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

occasion  in  the  city,  in  the  interest  of  some  pubHc 
cause,  but  more  often  he  went  out  of  town  to  some 
small  flock.  His  own  record  shows  that  during  the 
nine  years  of  his  ministry  to  a  large  congregation  of 
his  own,  he  preached  in  fifty-six  of  the  sixty  or  seventy 
churches  of  the  diocese,  not  only  once,  but  frequently 
a  number  of  times,  in  the  same  place.  Especially  was 
this  the  case  among  the  smaller  flocks  within  reach  of 
his  summer  home,  and,  like  his  father  before  him,  he 
traveled  by  carriage  up  and  down  the  Connecticut 
Valley  and  across  the  hills,  seldom  resting  for  a  Sunday 
during  his  vacation. 

Circumstances  placed  him  where  the  care  and  over- 
sight connected  with  the  growth  of  the  diocese  became 
an  interest  and  an  obligation.  In  I860  he  was  elected 
chairman  of  the  Standing  committee  to  fill  the  vacancy 
caused  by  the  elevation  of  Dr.  Randall  to  the  Episco- 
pate in  the  missionary  district  of  Colorado.  In  the 
following  year  Dr.  Huntington  presented,  for  adoption 
by  the  Convention,  a  new  missionary  canon,  the  result 
of  which  was  the  unification  of  those  organizations 
already  in  existence,  and  the  establishment  of  a  board 
elected  by  the  Convention,  and  entitled,  *'  The  Execu- 
tive Missionary  Committee."  Under  this  provision 
Dr.  Huntington  was  made  chairman  of  the  new  com- 
mittee,  and  his  full  report  to  the  succeeding  Convention 
in  1867  reviewed  the  field  open  for  mission  work  in 
Massachusetts.  AVhile  the  speaker  complained  that 
the  finances  were  in  arrears  and  the  missionaries  not 
fully  paid,  he  boldly  asked  for  double  the  sum  con- 
tributed the  past  year.  He  said:  "  It  cannot  certainly 
be  suffered  that  the  value  of  the  knowledge  of  the 
Gospel  of  Salvation  and  of  the  Church  through  whose 


THE    PASTOR   AND    HIS    FLOCK  227 

ordinances  it  is  ministered,  is  less  to  a  given  number 
of  souls  here  in  New  England  than  in  any  other  part 
of  the  world.  It  will  be  a  long  time  yet  before  this  part 
of  the  country  ceases  to  exercise  on  the  newly  settled 
territories  a  powerful  moral  and  intellectual  control. 
The  current  of  civilizing  and  refining,  and  to  great 
extent  of  evangelizing  influences,  must  continue  to  set 
from  the  north  and  east  to  the  west  and  south.  The 
changes  that  are  going  on  in  religious  thought  and 
conviction  offer  a  peculiarly  favorable  opportunity  for 
the  introduction  of  the  truth  of  Scripture  through  the 
Apostolic  System,  to  almost  any  village  in  the  Com- 
monwealth. We  know  of  many  considerable  settle- 
ments where  no  sanctuary  for  the  worship  of  the  Most 
High  God  is  built.  In  a  very  large  number  there  is 
already  a  disposition  to  welcome  our  Church  services 
both  for  the  edification  of  grown  people,  and  especially 
for  the  training  of  the  young.   .  .  . 

"Throughout  the  land  our  church  appears  to  be 
awaking  as  never  before  to  her  great  commission  and 
to  be  conscious  of 'her  neglected  privilege.  Are  we 
moving  with  the  stirring  movement  under  the  breath 
of  the  Spirit  ? "  With  such  earnest  appeal  the  oppor- 
tunity was  laid  before  the  clergy  and  laity  assembled 
and  practical  suggestions  offered  for  holding  services 
through  a  special  missionary  in  new  communities, 
such  work  to  be  strengthened  and  ministered  to  by 
neighboring  rectors.  The  chairman  urged  that  the 
amount  to  be  appropriated  for  the  ensuing  year  be 
again  made  twice  that  of  the  past.  He  reported  that 
the  appropriations  had  been  promptly  paid  through 
collections  made  at  Emmanuel  Church.  Here,  among 
his  own  people,  the  rector  ceased  not  to  urge,  exhort. 


228  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

admonish,  concerning  the  duty  of  making  liberal  gifts 
for  the  support  of  the  gospel  in  other  fields.  In  an 
address  before  a  delegate  meeting  of  the  Board  of 
Missions  in  Providence  in  1866,  Dr.  Huntington  spoke 
on  the  "  best  means  to  be  used  by  the  parochial  clergy 
for  awakening  and  maintaining  Missionary  zeal  in 
their  own  parishes." 

Out  of  his  own  rich  experience  and  unusual  success 
in  arousing  his  congregation  to  a  generous  response,  he 
mentioned,  among  other  means  of  enlightenment,  the 
value  of  giving  detailed  information  as  to  the  needs, 
the  opportunity,  the  mode  of  operation  and  the  prob- 
able or  actual  results  of  labors  in  the  field.  This  was 
his  own  habit,  and  on  some  occasions  an  allusion  to  a 
special  incident  was  made  so  telling,  by  the  magnetism 
of  his  speech  and  his  consummate  art  in  arousing  the 
feelings  of  his  hearers,  that  the  response  came  not  only 
in  large  offertories,  but  in  many  private  and  generous 
gifts.  Another  point  emphasized  in  his  missionary 
address  and  carried  into  practice  as  a  branch  of  his 
own  parochial  system  was  the  importance  of  interest- 
ing the  children  in  missionary  objects.  At  the  meetings 
which  he  inaugurated  in  his  parish  to  arouse  young  and 
old,  he  gathered  in  the  scholars  of  the  Mission,  who 
gave  frequent  and  animating  songs  to  add  to  the 
heartiness  of  the  occasion.  One  of  the  measures  of  the 
new  committee  had  been  the  inauguration  of  mission- 
ary convocations,  and  one  of  its  reports  mentions  that 
at  Emmanuel,  after  the  stirring  addresses  in  Epiphany, 
1868,  a  choir  of  children  gave  the  carol,  "We  three 
Ejngs  of  Orient." 

Another  line  of  effort  to  carry  the  gospel  to  neglected 
districts  took  shape  in  the  organization  of  the  "  Epis- 


THE    PASTOR   AND    HIS    FLOCK  229 

copal  Evangelization  Society,"  of  which  Dr.  Hunting- 
ton was  made  president.  Its  purpose  was  to  employ 
itinerants  to  hold  services  in  the  churchless  regions 
among  the  indifferent  and  neglected,  such  preachers 
being  known  as  **  Evangelists."  A  notice  in  the  press 
says  that  the  address  of  the  presiding  officer,  in  which 
he  laid  before  a  public  meeting  the  great  possibilities 
of  such  a  work,  and  the  obligation  incumbent  upon 
Christians  to  sustain  it,  held  "the  congregation  in  the 
most  rapt  attention  for  three  quarters  of  an  hour." 
His  argument  was  that  the  Apostolic  custom  might 
well  be  renewed,  to  go  from  place  to  place,  "  in  jour- 
neyings  often,"  and  he  urged  that  the  times  of  great 
missionary  effort  are  times  of  great  refreshment  to 
home  churches. 

Among  the  objects  of  systematic  offering  which  the 
people  at  Emmanuel  were  instructed  to  make  was  that 
of  preaching  the  gospel  to  the  Indian  tribes  in  the 
West,  interest  in  which  was  awakened  through  the 
labors  of  Bishop  Whipple.  In  the  autumn  of  1863  a 
class  of  young  women  in  the  Sunday-school,  under  the 
instruction  of  Mrs.  Homer,  began  to  contribute  to  that 
object.  The  following  spring,  a  society  of  church- 
women  was  formed  called  the  "Dakota  League," 
which  became  a  general  organization  in  the  diocese  of 
Massachusetts,  for  the  advancement  of  work  among 
the  Indians,  resulting  eventually,  in  connection  with 
some  similar  efforts,  in  the  formation  of  the  great 
Woman's  Auxiliary  to  the  Board  of  Missions. 

Dr.  Huntington's  own  sympathy  with  the  mission- 
ary work  in  the  West  led  him  to  send  his  eldest  son  to 
the  frontier,   as  a  teacher  in   the   Seabury   Divinity* 
School.       George   Huntington    had   graduated   from 


230  FREDERIC    DAN   HUNTINGTON 

Harvard  College  in  1864,  and  in  that  summer  while 
absent  on  a  vacation  he  received  from  his  father  a  letter 
opening  the  plan. 

Hadlet,  Aug.  9,  1864. 

Mr  DEAR  George:  —  In  reply  to  a  letter  of  inquiry 
from  me.  Bishop  Whipple  and  Dr.  Breck  have  sent 
me  a  proposal  to  receive  you  at  Faribault  as  an  assist- 
ant in  the  instruction  and  management  of  their  new 
Church-Seminary,  consisting  of  a  Divinity  School  and 
Preparatory  Department.  Your  work  will  of  course 
be  in  the  latter,  and  you  will  be  called  to  teach  nothing 
to  which  you  are  not  fully  competent.  These  gentle- 
men suggest  that  you  should  only  pursue  the  study  of 
Hebrew,  which  you  can  acquire  there  to  advantage, 
giving  the  rest  of  your  time  to  tuition,  and  that  you 
should  be  free  to  make  new  arrangements  at  the  end  of 
a  year. 

This  brings  before  you  an  important  question  for 
immediate  decision.  Without  attempting  to  prejudge 
or  to  overrule  the  free  choice  of  your  own  mind,  I  shall 
only  put  down  the  reasons  as  they  appear  to  me.  In 
favor  of  this  plan  then  are  the  following  considera- 
tions :  — 

1.  Direct  helpfulness.  Every  day  you  would  be 
rendering  a  service  of  some  value  to  others;  and  more 
than  that,  a  service  bearing  upon  the  highest  interests, 
the  ministry  and  the  Church  of  Christ. 

2.  A  disciphne  for  yourself.  You  will  be  in  a  con- 
stant practice  of  strengthening  your  faculties  and 
communicating  your  knowledge.  Maturity  of  char- 
acter, self-command,  ease  of  manners,  facility  of  lan- 
guage, a  larger  intercourse  with  men,  a  firmer  pos- 


THE    PASTOR    AND    HIS    FLOCK  231 

session  of  the  rudiments  of  different  branches  of  study, 
would  be  in  some  measure  at  least,  among  your  gains ; 
and  these  would  be  a  great  help  to  you  in  any  pro- 
fession you  might  follow  afterwards. 

3.  You  would  have  the  best  possible  chance  to  test 
your  attachment  to  and  fitness  for  one  of  the  two  pro- 
fessions which  you  have  determined  to  adopt,  and  thus 
your  ultimate  election  would  be  a  wiser  and  clearer  one. 

4.  You  would  be  in  immediate  communication  with 
gentlemen  of  as  noble  and  fine  a  spirit,  as  high  and 
disinterested  a  character,  and  as  genuine  refinement 
as  can  be  found  connected  with  any  institution  in  the 
land,  and  joining  to  these  qualities  a  very  rare  degree 
of  energy,  force,  and  practical  sagacity.  Thus  you 
would  come  in  contact  with  the  ministry  at  the  right 
point. 

5.  You  would  be  cast  aloof  from  the  set  of  associa- 
tions and  influences  with  which  you  are  thoroughly 
familiar,  upon  a  fresh  field;  and  this  of  itself  would 
help  give  breadth  to  your  education.  Cambridge  and 
Faribault,  Massachusetts  and  Minnesota,  would  make 
a  capital  mixture. 

6.  Your  Harvard  diploma  and  your  good  name 
would  give  you  a  good  start  in  a  community  where 
a  grand  work  of  civilization  is  to  be  done. 

7.  The  climate  is  as  fine  as  any  on  the  continent. 

It  is  true  all  these  promises  might  not  be  realized ;  but 
there  are  fair  elements  in  the  case,  and  there  is  nothing 
extravagant  or  visionary  in  trusting  them. 

There  is  a  great  deal  else  I  should  like  to  say,  for 
my  affections,  sympathies,  hopes,  convictions  are  all 
deeply  involved  in  this  crisis  of  your  life.  Every  day  I 
pray  God  to  direct  you.     Nothing  T  can  conceive  of 


232  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

holds  out  as  good  a  promise  as  this  proposal.     I  hope 
it  may  strike  you  favorably. 

Affectionately,  my  dear  boy, 

Your  father, 

F.  D.  H. 

Boston,  June  5,  1865. 

Dear  George  :  —  From  our  Easter  collection  I 
have  directed  the  General  Secretary  to  forv\ard  to 
Bishop  Whipple,  or  in  his  absence  to  Dr.  Breck,  for 
the  Missionary  purpose  of  the  diocese,  $200;  to  Mr. 
Hinman,  for  the  Dakota  Mission,  $100;  and  to  Mr. 
Tanner  $100. 

I  was  interested  in  your  account  of  the  Indian 
question,  and  received  the  paper  giving  a  description 
of  the  recent  murders.  It  would  be  childish  in  the 
Government  to  modify  its  policy,  so  far  as  it  was 
favorable  to  the  Missions,  for  one  such  outrage,  or  for 
half  a  dozen.  The  more  savage  the  natives  are,  the 
more  they  need  the  softening  and  restraining  influence 
of  Christianity;  and  I  trust  General  Grant's  counter 
order  is  an  indication  of  moderate  and  comprehensive 
measures. 

I  will  send  you  a  cheque  before  you  start  for  home. 
Would  you  not  like  to  take  this  opportunity  to  see  the 
Mammoth  Cave  in  Kentucky  and  the  Natural  Bridge 
in  Virginia  ?  You  might  go  from  Chicago  to  Louisville, 
call  on  Dr.  Craik,  take  the  cars  to  the  vicinity  of  the 
Cave,  pass  over  to  Virginia,  and  perhaps  stop  at  one 
of  the  battle-fields,  returning  by  way  of  Washington 
and  Philadelphia.  Regarding  it  as  an  advantageous 
part  of  your  education  I  should  be  willing  to  provide 
the  extra  sum  necessary  for  your  expenses.     It  often 


THE    PASTOR    AND    HIS    FLOCK  233 

occurs  to  me  as  a  deficiency  in  my  training  that  I  have 
traveled  so  httle.  Some  of  the  Parish  here  have  lately 
been  urging  me  to  go  to  Europe ;  but  I  feel  little  incli- 
nation, and  very  likely  shall  never  undertake  to  cross  the 
ocean.  Perhaps  your  mother  mentioned  that,  being  on 
a  journey  to  Buffalo,  a  few  days  ago,  to  look  up  a 
Headmaster  for  St.  Mark's,  Southboro,  I  had  a  few 
hours,  asleep  and  awake,  at  Niagara. 

No  other  plan  presents  itself  for  you,  I  believe,  than 
to  spend  the  next  year  at  home  in  theological  study. 
I  can  easily  point  out  work  enough  for  you  in  that 
way,  and  perhaps  I  should  make  the  attempt,  in  my 
busy,  broken  days,  to  pursue  some  investigations, 
including  Hebrew,  with  you.  You  will,  I  have  no 
doubt,  be  ready  to  act /or  me,  if  occasion  requires,  and 
to  identify  yourself  with  the  best  aims  we  are  capable 
of  following  in  the  house  and  in  the  Church. 

The  Rev.  Dan  Huntington  passed  away,  in  the  full- 
ness of  age,  in  October,  1864.  Writing  to  him  just 
before,  on  his  ninetieth  birthday,  his  son  said :  "  I  wish 
we  could  all  join  together  in  a  service  of  family  thanks- 
giving to  the  God  and  Father  who  is  the  Refuge  of 
all  generations.  But  we  can  all  render  up  our  several 
offerings  of  gratitude  to  our  Preserver  and  Deliverer. 
This  is  one  of  the  duties  you  have  taught  your  children, 
by  precept  and  example.  I  hope  that  both  your  memo- 
ries and  hopes  on  this  occasion  will  be  pleasant  and 
cheerful,  as  they  almost  always  are.  The  Gospel  gives 
you  strong  promises  that  in  the  time  of  old  age  you  will 
not  be  forsaken." 

To  his  son,  in  Minnesota,  Dr.  Huntington  wrote: 
**  Everything  about  your  good  old  grandfather's  death 


234  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

was  peaceful  and  happy  as  his  Ufe  had  been.  His 
last  articulate  words  were  those  of  the  Apostolical 
Benediction  with  a  fitting  'Amen/  This  was  Sunday 
evening,  the  last  day  of  his  life  and  ministry  on  earth; 
the  next  morning,  at  four  o'clock,  the  mysterious  wheels 
of  mortal  animation  stood  still.  The  sacred  illusion 
of  his  illness  was  that  every  day  was  Sunday.  When  we 
buried  him  it  was  near  sunset,  the  air  was  still,  and  the 
splendor  of  a  brilliant  autumnal  sky  poured  itself 
into  his  open  grave,  as  was  meet  for  the  end  of  a  course 
so  genial  and  so  beneficent  as  his." 

On  December  22,  1864,  the  customary  greeting  was 
sent  to  the  old  homestead,  this  time  to  the  sister  alone, 
who  remained  there  after  her  long  and  devoted 
attendance  on  their  father. 

"  I  wish  you  could  be  at  our  Christmas  Eve  service 
in  the  Church,  and  at  the  Christmas  Communion. 
Everything  is  good  that  unites  more  closely  the  family 
in  Heaven  with  the  family  on  earth,  and  both  with 
the  living  and  loving  and  glorious  Head,  who  came  to 
be  one  of  us,  and  die  for  all." 

The  ancestral  mansion  had  now  passed  into  the 
possession  of  the  youngest  of  the  family,  through 
purchase  from  his  brothers  and  sisters.  One  of  the 
many  generous  acts  which  testified  to  the  affection  of 
the  parishioners  at  Emmanuel  Church  for  their  pastor 
was  a  gift  from  a  number  of  its  prominent  men  to 
complete  the  payments  on  the  estate.  Henceforth  the 
care  and  management  of  the  farm  in  all  its  details 
was  Dr.  Huntington's  pastime  and  delight.  The 
months  of  summer  residence  there  undoubtedly 
lengthened  the  life  of  the  hard-working  priest  and 
prelate.    The  home  was  one  of  abounding  hospitality. 


THE    PASTOR    AND    HIS    FLOCK  235 

maintained  with  patriarchal  dignity  and  the  simple 
habits  of  Puritan  inheritance.  While  the  head  of  the 
household  passed  hours  during  the  days  and  evenings 
of  the  vacation  at  his  desk,  engaged  in  literary  work, 
or  in  directing  parish  and  diocesan  affairs  through 
correspondence,  he  found  leisure  for  long  drives  with 
his  family  and  guests,  exploring  every  road  and  byway 
through  the  valley  and  across  the  hills.  In  the  haying 
season  he  did  the  work  of  one  able-bodied  laborer  in 
the  field,  entering  into  the  occupation  with  a  zest  and 
ardor  which  never  abated.  From  his  study-table  at 
the  end  of  the  hall  he  had  always  in  sight  the  move- 
ments in  the  barn  and  the  large  yard.  Many  a  moniing 
he  was  busy  with  his  writing  at  the  early  hour  when  the 
cows  went  out  to  pasture.  To  the  north  his  window 
looked  into  the  old  garden,  and  the  changing  pageant 
of  earth  and  sky,  the  fruits  and  blossoms,  the  flower- 
bordered  walk,  the  butterflies  and  the  birds,  offered  a 
scene  of  quiet  repose  which  was  always  grateful.  He 
never  wearied  of  drawing  the  attention  of  guests  to  his 
beautiful  display  of  hollyhocks  at  midsummer.  Here 
at  twilight  he  sat  with  his  book  occupied  in  reading 
and  meditation,  or  he  would  join  his  wife  and  children 
on  the  lawn  in  front  of  the  porch,  his  dog  at  his  feet, 
while  he  entered  into  the  conversation  or  shared  with 
the  group  around  him  some  subject  with  which  his 
mind  was  engaged.  Sometimes  he  would  stroll  away 
into  the  woods  or  to  the  edge  of  the  pasture  to  make 
friends  with  his  Alderney  heifers.  After  supper,  on  a 
beautiful  evening,  all  would  gather  on  the  quaint 
"  stoop,"  along  the  length  of  the  house  in  the  rear,  to 
enjoy  the  gorgeous  tints  of  sunset  across  the  river,  to 
listen  to  the  sounds  dying  out  in  the  village  street 


236  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

beyond  its  banks,  to  watch  the  purple  glow  fading  into 
darkness'  on  the  mountain  ranges  and  the  first  star 
twinkling  in  the  heavens.  After  the  lamps  were  lighted 
came  the  letters  and  newspapers,  a  little  reading  aloud, 
and  an  early  bedtime. 

In  the  summer  of  1860  the  Hadley  host  wrote  to  a 
friend:  "Our  time  here  is  spent  principally  out-of- 
doors.  We  ride  a  great  deal,  and  when  we  get  up  on 
to  the  high  grounds,  into  mountain  scenery,  I  assist 
the  children's  anticipations  of  next  month  by  telling 
them  how  that  is  like  Berkshire.  The  beauty  of  the 
valley  is  indeed  very  different  from  the  majesty  of 
your  grand  elevations;  but  I  cannot  allow  that  there 
is  anything  in  this  world  more  lovely,  more  perfect,  — 
in  its  kind,  —  than  this  beloved  old  homestead  where  I 
was  bom ;  with  the  windings  of  the  river,  —  the  '  green 
meadows  and  still  waters '  of  an  earthly  Paradise,  — 
the  flowing  outlines  of  the  distant  Western  hills,  — 
the  splendid  urn-shaped  and  sheaf-shaped  elms  around 
us  and  over  us,  —  the  woods,  not  far  off,  at  the  East,  — 
with  large  grassy  yards  and  hay-fields  on  every  side. 
It  is  doubly  delicious  just  now,  after  a  Sunday's  visit 
to  Boston  in  this  intensely  sultry  weather." 

It  was  in  such  healthful  and  simple  emplojmient 
of  the  holidays  that  the  busy  pastor  stored  up  strength 
for  the  multiplied  engagements  of  the  winter  months. 
In  September  he  was  again  in  the  pulpit  at  Emmanuel, 
and  from  then  to  succeeding  June  not  a  Sunday  passed 
without  arduous  work.  Added  to  the  two  services  in 
his  own  church  and  the  third  devoted  to  missionary 
engagements,  or  to  some  special  call,  the  rector  never 
failed  to  be  present  in  his  Sunday-school,  making  him- 
self personally  acquainted  with  the  children,  catechising 


THE    PASTOR   AND    HIS   FLOCK  237 

and  instructing  them.  One  of  the  strongest  influences 
for  good  which  those  who  were  young  women  at  that 
time  ever  afterwards  recalled  with  gratitude  was  the 
Sunday  Bible  class,  taught  by  Mrs.  William  R.  Law- 
rence, to  which  the  rector  gave  his  earnest  sympathy, 
and  frequently  the  encouragement  of  his  presence. 

This  was  only  one  instance  of  the  personal  solicitude 
he  felt  for  the  members  of  his  large  parish,  watching 
over  their  spiritual  life,  visiting  them  regularly,  be- 
coming acquainted  with  the  interests  of  people  in  all 
walks  of  life.  The  following  letter  was  written  to  a 
student  at  Harvard  just  before  his  confirmation.  The 
young  man  was  the  son  of  a  valued  parishioner,  and  in 
later  life  became  conspicuous  for  his  noble  influence 
and  active  Christian  work.  After  his  death  his  old 
rector  wrote  (in  1900),  "  The  service  he  rendered  by  his 
character,  testimony,  and  bestowments  to  the  Church 
cannot  be  taken  away  or  forgotten." 

Boston,  April  4,  '62. 

To  J.  D.  W.  F. 

My  dear  Friend: — Since  hearing  from  you  the 
good  news  of  your  intention  to  come  openly  into  the 
Fold  of  Christ,  I  have  thought  much  about  you,  and 
have  wanted  to  tell  you  again  how  heartily  I  rejoice 
in  your  decision.  You  may  be  sure  it  is  right;  for  you 
are  following  the  plain  direction  of  your  Saviour.  It 
is  He  that  has  put  this  purpose  into  your  heart.  You 
must  depend  entirely  on  Him  to  carry  it  into  effect, 
in  a  true,  consistent  Christian  life.  You  are  now  a 
Soldier  of  the  Cross ;  a  great  and  noble  work  is  given 
you  to  do;  but  you  will  also  have  great  helps  and  en- 
couragements in  doing  it;  and  so  you  are  never  to  be 


238  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

disheartened.  If  you  sometimes  fail,  let  that  only  nerve 
you  to  new  dihgence.  Religion  never  appears  with 
more  grace  or  power,  than  in  the  character  of  a  young 
man;  and  especially,  perhaps,  of  young  men  in  col- 
lege. I  think  they  sometimes  make  the  mistake  of 
supposing  they  shall  recommend  their  religion,  and 
make  it  acceptable,  by  keeping  it  in  the  background. 
But  almost  everybody,  even  worldly  and  careless 
people,  have  a  secret  respect  for  Christians  who  thor- 
oughly carry  out  their  principles,  show  their  colors, 
and  stand  by  their  Master. 

Your  success  will  depend  chiefly  on  your  private 
devotions.  Keep  some  time  sacred  every  day  for  these. 
Find  out  when  you  can  best  manage  to  be  alone  and  let 
nothing  interfere  with  your  retirement  for  reading  the 
Bible,  and  prayer. 

Some  of  the  most  quiet  Christians  in  the  world  have 
been  the  firmest.  Let  your  acquaintances  see  that  while 
you  make  no  noise  about  your  piety,  your  principles 
are  fixed,  your  course  is  deliberately  chosen,  and  your 
spirit  clad  in  the  whole  armor  of  God. 

I  trust  the  Sunday  evening  will  be  to  you,  to  many 
more,  the  beginning  of  many  happy  years  of  Christian 
progress  and  peace,  and  that  you  will  always  look 
back  to  that  scene  with  a  grateful  memory. 
I  am  most  truly  and  faithfully, 

F.  D.  Huntington. 

Hadley,  July  10,  1862. 

To  A.  W.  S.  C. 

In  the  retirement  and  leisure  of  these  still  days,  in 
this  still  place,  my  thoughts  go  out  after  one  and 
another  of  the  dear  young  believers  that  have  con- 


THE    PASTOR    AND    HIS    FLOCK  239 

fessed  their  faith  in  Emmanuel  Church;  and  they 
turn  to  none  oftener  than  to  you.  Life,  at  the  longest, 
is  so  short;  our  powers,  at  best,  are  so  poor;  the  souls 
for  which  our  Master  has  died  have  such  inestimable 
value;  and  "the  world"  presses  so  hard  upon  the 
aspirations  of  our  higher  hours,  —  that  I  can  hardly 
consent  to  let  the  service  which  Christ  has  entrusted 
to  me  in  his  Church  wholly  cease  even  in  these  days 
of  summer  rest.  I  long,  at  least,  that  the  impressions 
of  our  holy  seasons  in  the  months  past  should  not  be 
lost  while  we  are  scattered  apart,  and  are  set  free  for 
recreation  and  pleasure.  I  don't  know  how  you  find  it; 
but,  for  myself,  I  think  it  always  needs  a  little  more 
than  the  usual  watchfulness  and  self-control  to  keep 
the  hidden  life  of  faith  and  holiness  up  to  the  right 
standard,  during  these  periods  of  pleasure  and  play, 
more  than  when  the  various  helps  and  supports  of 
our  regular  winter  habits  are  about  us.  The  times  of 
daily  devotion  are  apt  to  be  interrupted  in  one  way 
or  another;  the  order  of  our  private  religious  exercises 
falls  apart;  the  spirits  are  excited  and  borne  away 
with  the  round  of  social  gaieties;  and  so  the  spiritual 
tone  is  sometimes  relaxed  or  lowered.  Others,  how- 
ever, —  and  perhaps  you  may  be  among  them,  —  are 
greatly  aided  by  this  change  from  city  to  country. 
They  feel  nearer  God  amidst  the  simplicity,  the 
grandeur,  and  solemn  beauty  of  his  hills  and  forests 
and  open  sky,  than  under  the  dust  and  noise  where 
multitudes  jostle  against  each  other.  The  difference 
is  owing,  probably,  in  part  to  temperament,  and  in 
part  to  the  peculiar  circumstances  of  each  individual. 
The  true  way  is  to  look  at  every  change  as  having 
something  to  do  with  our  religious  training  and  dis- 


240  FREDERIC   DAN   HUNTINGTON 

cipline.  The  God  of  both  winter  and  summer  makes 
everything  beautiful  in  its  own  season;  and  it  is  only 
we,  in  our  willfulness,  or  selfishness,  or  negligence, 
who  turn  his  appointments  into  snares  and  tempta- 
tions. But  what  a  blessing  that  promise  is,  that  he 
will  not  suffer  us  to  be  tempted  "  above  that  we  are 
able,"  but  will,  with  the  temptation,  if  we  are  only 
faithful,  make  a  way  of  escape.  I  dare  say  you  are 
often  dissatisfied  with  yourself.  All  earnest  Christians 
are.  You  do  not  seem,  perhaps,  to  be  making  the  ad- 
vances you  have  desired.  Almost  three  months  have 
gone  since  that  sacred  Confirmation  evening;  and  it 
may  be  that  you  do  not  see  in  yourself  much  growth 
in  purity  and  in  likeness  to  Jesus.  But  take  heart,  and 
do  not  be  discouraged  if  it  is  so.  Wliile  you  trust  the 
strength  of  God's  promises,  guard  your  actions,  and 
their  inward  springs.  Be  always  seeking  out  some 
opportunity  of  ministering  good  to  the  other  members 
of  the  family.  The  scene  of  your  self-denial  may  be 
familiar  and  tame,  and  your  best  efforts  may  not 
always  appear  to  be  appreciated.  But  your  Saviour 
sees  them,  every  one,  and  remembers  them ;  and  it  is 
thro'  just  these  little  trials  that  your  spirit  is  to  be 
"endued  with  power  from  on  high,"  and  matured 
into  a  noble  Christian  womanhood.  .  .  . 

It  occurs  to  me  that  you  may  have  known  nothing, 
or  but  little,  of  the  movement  in  which  our  Emmanuel 
people  are  now  so  generally  and  deeply  interested,  — 
the  building  or  buying  of  a  Mission  Chapel  for  our 
work  in  the  ninth  ward.  And  as  I  have  lying  by  me  an 
unused  copy  of  the  sermon  with  which  I  initiated  the 
measure,  I  will  enclose  it  for  you  and  your  mother 
instead  of  writing  out  a  description  of  the  plan  here. 


THE    PASTOR   AND    HIS    FLOCK  241 

My  whole  heart  is  in  this  enterprise  for  the  neglected 
Pagans  close  by  us  in  Boston.  I  have  been  laboring 
incessantly  for  it  ever  since  I  saw  you  in  P.  (this  ser- 
mon was  preached  the  very  Sunday  after),  and  I  have 
had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  even  those  that  were 
coolest  at  first  becoming  engaged  in  the  project.  You 
will  not  forget  to  entreat  the  Head  of  the  Church  to 
prosper  it.  He  has  done  so  already;  for  we  have  about 
eight  thousand  dollars  subscribed,  in  these  hard  times. 

On  Sunday  afternoons  it  was  often  Dr.  Huntington's 
habit  to  minister  at  one  of  the  hospitals,  occasionally 
at  the  House  of  the  Good  Samaritan,  in  which  he  was 
much  interested,  and  quite  regularly,  for  some  months 
each  season,  at  the  Home  for  Consumptives,  then 
just  opened  and  enlisting  his  strong  support.  Its 
founder,  Dr.  Charles  Cullis,  was  a  parishioner,  and 
the  earliest  plans  for  the  work  were  submitted  to  his 
pastor  for  counsel.  His  simple  faith  and  spiritual 
character  endeared  him  very  much  to  Dr.  Huntington, 
who  endorsed  and  aided  his  work.  Among  other  new 
objects  of  charity  to  which  the  busy  minister  gave  time 
and  assistance  was  the  Dedham  Home  for  Discharged 
Female  Prisoners,  which  he  frequently  visited. 

Holding  a  firm  belief  that  almsgiving  should  be  sys- 
tematic and  intelligent,  he  employed  a  parish  visitor, 
under  his  own  oversight,  who  was  largely  engaged  in 
befriending  such  as  personally  applied  to  him.  With 
most  of  those  who  came  to  the  door  seeking  rehef,  an 
occurrence  more  frequent  in  the  days  before  the  estab- 
lishment of  organized  charities,  he  spoke  himself ;  and 
in  his  busy  hours  some  unfortunate  was  pretty  sure 
to  be  seen  sitting  in  the  hall  waiting  for  an  interview. 


242  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

Practical  measures  for  the  improvement  of  the  condi- 
tions connected  with  poverty  occupied  his  mind,  and 
he  was  much  concerned  for  the  better  housing  of 
famihes  of  the  Mission  congregation  who  inhabited 
damp  and  unwholesome  tenements  in  an  ill-drained 
district.  The  establishment  of  the  Rector's  Aid 
Society,  a  body  of  earnest  young  men,  resulted  in 
the  erection  of  Huntington  House,  completed  and 
named  for  its  founder,  after  his  removal  from  Boston. 
It  was  through  this  same  organization  that  in  April, 
1866,  Dr.  Huntington's  strong  desire  to  have  under  his 
control  a  church  building  free  to  all  worshipers  of 
Almighty  God,  became  realized  in  the  consecration  of 
the  Chapel  of  the  Good  Shepherd.  It  was  distinctively 
stated  from  the  beginning  that  this  sanctuary  was 
not  intended  for  a  single  class,  but  as  a  place  where 
rich  and  poor  should  meet  together.  The  name  ex- 
pressed the  teaching  connected  with  it,  that  those  who 
entered  the  doors  and  attended  the  services  "  should 
constitute  a  special  flock,  on  equal  terms  with  each  other 
before  the  Saviour  of  souls ;  that  their  ways  should  be 
kindly  and  that  the  Ministry  should  serve  them  cheer- 
fully." 

Near  the  end  of  his  life,  October,  1899,  Bishop 
Huntington  wrote,  on  the  occasion  of  its  twenty-fifth 
anniversary,  to  the  rector.  Rev.  George  Prescott,  this 
retrospect  of  the  Church  of  the  Good  Shepherd :  — 

You  know,  in  part  at  least,  how  dear  and  precious 
it  was  to  me  from  the  hour  of  its  birth  as  a  mission, 
during  all  my  ministry  in  Emmanuel.  Indeed,  I  should 
never  have  been  satisfied  to  be  the  pastor  of  a  con- 
gregation made  up  largely  of  families  of  wealth  and 


THE    PASTOR   AND    HIS    FLOCK  243 

leisure,  witliout  the  balance  of  a  flock  of  a  less  favored 
class,  wherein  I  and  my  parishioners  could  expend 
our  sympathies  and  unbought  labors.  Therefore,  just 
as  soon  as  the  Parish  was  organized,  I  struck  off  into 
the  comparatively  un shepherded  population  in  and 
about  Church  Street,  and  the  district  east  and  south. 
The  first  *'  Chapel "  was  a  rude  upstairs  section  of  a 
carpenter's  shop,  partitioned  off  with  pine  boards. 
There  we  gathered  a  Sunday-school,  and  sang  and 
prayed.  From  there,  in  due  time,  we  removed  to 
Nassau  Hall,  on  Washington  Street,  between  Common 
Street  and  Hollis,  where  we  had  services,  sacraments, 
preaching,  and  where  the  benevolent  women  and  girls 
of  Emmanuel  administered  their  charities,  and  where 
some  of  the  noblest,  best  bred,  most  refined  and  effi- 
cient daughters  of  Boston  had  their  training  in  the 
manifold  departments  of  church  work,  for  which 
Boston  and  other  parts  of  the  world  have  been  better 
ever  since.  How  that  scene  of  practical  Christian 
activity  was  afterwards  transferred  to  Cortes  Street, 
and  by  what  successive  and  honorable  steps  in  indus- 
trial and  spiritual  enterprise  advanced  to  its  later  and 
well-known  distinction,  you  will  not  need  that  I  should 
call  to  mind.  I  wish  that  I  had  time  to  pay  the  deserved 
tribute  of  my  esteem  and  gratitude  to  the  true  and 
devoted  pastors  —  shepherds,  indeed  —  who  were 
with  me  and  came  afterwards,  and  especially  to  the 
present  admirable  successor,  whose  wise  administration, 
unwearied  toil,  patient  sacrifices,  and  lovely  disposition 
need  no  praise  from  me.  God  bless  him,  his  home,  and 
all  his  people! 

Faithfully, 

F.  D.  Huntington. 


244  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

Another  recollection  of  those  days  comes  from  the 
first  assistant  minister. 

"How  can  I  begin  to  do  justice  to  that  morning  of 
bright  hopes,  that  epoch  of  quickened  faith,  glad 
sympathies  and  high  endeavor?  The  people  who  ral- 
lied around  Huntington,  helped  him  to  found  this 
Church,  and  gave,  not  only  their  money,  but  themselves 
to  the  task  of  edifying  the  body  of  Christ,  were  a 
choice  company.  They  loved  their  leader,  they  be- 
Heved  in  him,  and  unfamiliar  though  he  was  with 
the  ways  to  which  most  of  them  had  been  accustomed 
from  their  childhood,  they  felt  no  shadow  of  a  doubt 
that,  out  of  the  very  novelty  of  the  conditions  by  which 
he  found  himself  environed,  there  would  come  a 
stimulus  that  should  make  him  more  effective  even 
than  before.    Nor  were  they  disappointed  in  the  event. 

"How  eagerly  we  listened  to  the  sermons;  how 
earnestly  we  talked  among  ourselves  of  the  rector's 
rapidly  unfolding  plans;  how  impatient  we  were  to 
escape  from  our  temporary  place  of  worship,  on  the 
other  side  of  the  town,  and  to  enter  upon  occupancy 
here,  where  the  new  Boston  was  taking  form."  ^ 

In  a  sermon  preached  at  the  end  of  the  first  year  of 
parish  life  their  rector  had  told  his  flock :  "  My  view 
of  the  work  of  this  Church  is  very  simple.  It  is  that 
every  person  in  the  congregation,  of  either  sex,  of  all 
conditions,  and  of  every  age,  if  not  disabled  by  severe 
disease,  ought  to  have  some  kind  of  service  in  hand 
to  be  done  as  circumstances  allow,  in  virtue  of  being 
a  member  of  that  congregation,  under  the  direction  of 
the  rector,  and  in  the  name  of  Christ,  who  is  the  ever 

^  Memorial  Sermon:  "A  Good  Shepherd,"  Rev.  William  R. 
Huntington,  D.D. 


THE   PASTOR   AND    HIS   FLOCK  245 

present  Head  of  all  under-shepherds  and  of  the  whole 
flock."  This  was  no  passing  admonition,  left  to  chance 
to  take  practical  effect,  but  a  programme  laid  down 
as  strictly  for  himself,  by  the  leader,  as  for  those  under 
his  spiritual  care.  It  was  his  untiring  business  from 
week's  end  to  week's  end  to  watch  over  and  to  encour- 
age the  various  departments  of  service  in  the  parish, 
and  to  enlist  personally  in  these  ministrations  every 
person  who  occupied  a  seat  on  Sunday.  One  who  was 
at  that  time  a  young  girl  recalls  how  promptly  on  her 
return  home  from  boarding-school  a  little  note  came 
from  the  rector,  assuming  as  a  matter  of  course  that 
she  would  engage  in  some  line  of  usefulness,  and  sug- 
gesting where  her  efforts  would  be  of  most  benefit  to 
herself  and  to  others.  The  Mission  field  was  a  large 
outlet  for  sympathy  and  cooperation.  Among  the 
visitors  enrolled  to  go  into  the  homes  of  distress  and 
want,  one  finds  printed  in  those  old  reports  names  still 
remembered  in  the  community  for  influence  and  high 
position. 

Although  the  rector  took  the  initiative  in  the  building 
of  the  Mission  chapel,  the  wardens  and  vestry  assumed 
themselves  the  work  of  parish  enlargement,  and 
there  was  no  stint  in  funds  for  the  prosecution  of  all 
branches  of  parochial  activity.  In  1864  a  chapel  was 
erected  adjoining  the  church  to  provide  for  lenten 
services  and  for  the  Sunday-school,  and  the  following 
year  a  transept  was  added  on  the  west,  giving  two 
hundred  additional  sittings. 

When,  many  years  later,  a  fine  ecclesiastical  structure 
was  erected  in  Lynn  by  one  of  the  noble  churchmen 
of  Massachusetts,  the  donor  said  that  it  was  his  old 
rector  at  Emmanuel  who  "first  taught  him  how  to 


246  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

give."  The  liberality  of  this  layman,  as  of  others  who 
sat  under  that  preaching,  was  indeed  the  result  of 
Christian  principle,  which  regards  the  acquisition  of 
wealth  as  the  enlargement  of  sacred  obligations. 
Those  who  occupied  the  heads  of  the  pews  half  a  cen- 
tury ago,  were  the  solid  business  men  of  the  common- 
wealth who,  beside  managing  their  affairs  with  sa- 
gacity and  prudence,  practiced  habits  of  life  which 
knew  nothing  of  ostentation.  Others  in  that  large 
audience  were  students,  lawyers,  judges,  men  influ- 
ential in  counsel,  wide  in  their  sympathies,  conserva- 
tive in  their  tastes,  deliberate  in  their  judgments. 
Among  the  larger  interests  which  their  pastor  pre- 
sented to  them  with  earnestness  was  that  of  clerical 
education,  and  generous  offerings  were  made  to  the 
"  Society  for  the  Increase  of  the  Ministry."  In  a  letter 
to  his  son  George,  who  was  preparing  to  enter  Berkeley 
Divinity  School,  Dr.  Huntington  expresses  his  strong 
desire  to  see  a  similar  institution  planted  in  the  vicinity 
of  Harvard.  It  was  therefore  in  a  spirit  of  hearty  con- 
gratulation that  he  announced  to  his  congregation  one 
Sunday  morning  the  munificent  gift  made  by  one  of 
their  number,  Benjamin  Tyler  Reed,  for  the  founding 
of  the  Theological  School  at  Cambridge.  He  became 
a  visitor  of  the  seminary,  was  a  trustee  of  Trinity  Col- 
lege, of  Vassar  College,  and  of  St.  Paul's  School, 
Concord,  and  still  further  manifested  his  strong  inter- 
est in  education  as  one  of  the  founders  of  St.  Mark's 
School  for  boys,  Southboro. 

It  seems  in  place  here  to  give  some  reminiscences 
of  the  rector  of  Emmanuel,  written  by  one  who  was  in 
his  youth  an  active  worker:  "He  was  particularly 
kind  and  watchful  to  young  men  who  were  aw^ay  from 


THE    PASTOR    AND    HIS    FLOCK  247 

their  homes,  and  in  Boston,  either  as  students  or  in 
business.  Dr.  Huntington  was  the  great  preacher  of 
Boston  in  those  days.  He  ever  seemed  to  endeavor 
to  impress  upon  his  hearers  that  it  was  a  very  solemn 
thing  to  live,  that  the  responsibility  was  great,  and 
duty  to  God  and  man  must  be  done  no  matter  what 
happened.  His  sermons  were  always  deeply  thought 
out,  expressed  in  choice,  often  magnificent,  English 
of  good  length,  but  never  too  long,  the  words  distinct, 
his  voice  and  accent  fascinating,  his  manner  serious, 
stately,  dignified,  yet  at  the  same  time  humble  rather 
than  pompous. 

"  I  recall  to  mind  his  interest  in  the  church  Reading 
room.  The  young  men  desired  to  have  a  room  cen- 
trally located  where  the  church  publications  could  be 
found,  and  where  the  Boston  churchmen  could  meet 
for  conversation  during  the  evenings,  the  clergy  could 
find  a  mutual  meeting-place,  and  where  the  services 
and  special  church  occasions  could  be  bulletined.  The 
Doctor  was  our  most  interested  supporter,  and  his 
influence  was  a  great  help  to  us.  Some  were  afraid  of 
it  because  it  was  to  be  distinctively  churchly,  and 
Bishop  Eastburn  had  no  sympathy  with  the  enter- 
prise. The  church  Reading  room  struggled  for  years, 
but  it  lived,  and  the  Diocesan  House  is  the  result  and 
its  historical  continuation." 

January  1,  1865. 

To  A.  L.  P. 

We  have  turned  the  comer  in  our  winter  work  of 
the  year.  Too  little  room  is  given  to  old  friendships, 
to  quiet  communion  and  the  simple  genial  enjoyment 
of  the  hearts  we  love,  in  this  eager,  noisy,  human  life. 


248  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

We  are  in  the  midst  of  winter  work  —  the  Mission  and 
its  charities,  which  take  a  great  deal  of  time.  We  get 
better  and  better  organized  every  year.  I  wish  you 
could  have  been  with  us  at  our  Christmas  festivity  and 
that  you  could  see  the  Church  in  its  evergreen  dress. 
You  cannot  conceive  the  change  that  has  come  over 
our  Community  in  its  observance  of  this  Festival  within 
twenty  or  thirty  years.  I  can  remember  when  not  a 
sprig  of  green  or  a  public  service  marked  the  day, 
except  with  a  few  scattered  Church  families.  Now, 
scarcely  a  house  is  without  its  celebration.  But  there 
is  a  great  deal  to  be  learned  yet. 

Dec.  31,  1866. 
To  HIS  Sister. 

That  date  I  have  written,  I  suppose,  for  the  last 
time.  It  is  the  last  night  and  almost  the  last  hour  of 
the  year.  I  have  been  writing  letters  not  only  to  various 
parts  of  this  country,  but  to  England,  to  France,  to 
Africa,  to  China,  and  now  the  last  word  shall  go  to 
you,  my  faithful,  true-hearted,  loved,  revered,  only 
sister. 

We  are  growing  old.  The  other  day  Hannah  and  I 
got  our  first  eye-glasses.  Luckily  they  are  just  alike,  so 
that  if  they  change  places  it  will  not  discomfort  us. 
We  ought  not  to  mourn  the  flight  of  time  if  we  believe 
that  this  life  is  the  antechamber  and  beginning  of  Life 
Eternal. 

Old  Madam  Hooper  is  gone,  the  oldest,  most  ven- 
erable and  lovely  ** Mother  in  Israel"  of  my  Parish. 
Her  death  was  entirely  beautiful.  She  liked  to  have  me 
tell  her  about  father.  As  it  was  just  before  Christmas, 
I  took  the  text  of  Simeon  and  Anna  and  preached  a 


THE    PASTOR   AND    HIS    FLOCK  249 

sermon  on  Christian  Old  Age.    But  the  better  sermon 
was  her  Hfe. 

Christmas  was  bright  and  cheery,  with  its  great 
Memory,  its  animating  worship,  its  noble  music,  its 
Holy  Communion,  and  its  family  pleasures.  How 
impressive  it  is  to  think  of  all  the  millions  of  deeds  of 
kindness,  plans,  and  schemes,  and  surprises  of  disin- 
terested good- will  and  generosity  all  over  the  world- 
wide Christendom,  and  all  springing  from  the  act  of 
love  1800  years  ago.  To-morrow  morning  at  nine 
o'clock  we  begin  the  New  Year  with  a  service  and  the 
Holy  Communion. 


CHAPTER   VIII 

THE    king's    messenger 

"  You  did  well  to  talk  so  plainly  as  you  did. 
There  is  little  of  this  faithful  dealing  with  men  now-a-days." 

It  should  be  borne  in  mind,  that  during  the  years  of 
planting  and  growth  in  Emmanuel  parish,  while  its 
life  was  becoming  more  vigorous,  its  activities  more 
varied  and  effective,  the  community  and  the  nation 
Avere  passing  under  the  clouds  of  civil  strife,  of  blood- 
shed, apprehension,  and  financial  insecurity.  The 
lessons  to  be  learned  through  public  events  were 
pronounced  from  the  pulpit  w^ith  the  clear  utterance 
of  the  prophets  of  old.  On  Sept.  14,  1862,  Dr.  Hunt- 
ington preached  a  sermon,  afterwards  reprinted  as  a 
special  contribution  to  the  "  Christian  Witness,"  from 
the  passage  in  II  Chronicles  xx.  12. 

"  O  our  God,  ...  we  have  no  might  against  this 
great  company  that  cometh  against  us;  neither  know 
we  what  to  do  :  but  our  eyes  are  upon  thee."  He 
introduced  the  subject  by  referring  to  a  discourse  "  in 
w^hich  less  than  two  years  ago  we  took  this  language  as 
text  for  the  general  doctrine  of  God's  providence, 
giving  it  a  figurative  application  to  the  anxieties  and 
perplexities  of  our  individual  and  common  life.  Few 
minds  could  believe  then  that  within  twenty  months 
the  words  would  come  to  have  a  literal  meaning  for  us 


THE    KING'S   MESSENGER  251 

as  a  nation,  in  the  battles,  the  invasions,  the  abused 
patience  of  a  peaceful  government,  the  multitude  of 
confederate  assailants,  the  heathenish  cruelties,  the 
mortal  agonies,  of  these  alienated  and  armed  States. 

"This  morning,  only  change  the  names  of  persons 
and  places,  and  the  whole  passage  sounds  as  if  it  were 
written  of  our  own  people,  with  weapons  in  their 
hands,  with  the  visions  of  streams  of  blood  before  their 
eyes,  with  supplication  on  their  lips,  and  with  some- 
thing fearfully  like  dismay  in  their  hearts."  The  com- 
plete sermon  is  a  powerful  plea,  as  the  title  indicates,  for 
"A  Nation's  Look  toward  God,"  beginning  by  pointing 
out  strong  and  vivid  analogies  with  Old  Testament 
history.  "  God  binds  men  together,  organizes  them,  and 
trains  them  up  through  the  mutual  affections,  sacri- 
fices, and  services  of  corporate  Institutions:  first  the 
Family,  secondly  the  State,  thirdly  the  Church.  The 
Church  is  both  Family  and  State,  a  divine  Family, 
a  divine  State ;  visible  and  historical  as  well  as  spiritual 
and  perpetual.  Hence  the  national  character  is  a  holy 
thing.  When  it  is  prostrated  and  polluted  it  is  the  most 
terrible  of  degradations.  A  people  without  religious 
patriotism  is  a  mob  of  weak  and  one-sided  insurgents, 
held  together,  if  at  all,  only  by  interest  and  fear.    .    .    . 

"The  philosophy  of  sheer  individualism  is  an 
unchristian  philosophy.  It  lacks  the  purest,  the  loftiest, 
the  most  unselfish  aspirations  of  humanity.  Christ 
comes,  not  only  to  make  righteous  individuals,  but  to 
build  a  righteous  kingdom,  whereof  each  individual 
is  a  member,  so  that  no  one  can  say  to  another,  I  have 
no  need  of  thee.  Open  the  Scriptures  almost  anywhere 
and  you  will  find  that  God's  people  loved  their  nation, 
prayed  for  it,  lived  for  it,  died  for  it,  as  a  divine  thing." 


252  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

In  closing,  the  preacher  reminded  his  audience  of 
the  character  of  its  noble  heritage  and  the  public 
iniquities  which  had  led  to  adversity  and  anguish.  "  We 
have  trusted  to  our  enterprise,  our  trade,  and  our 
wealth;  and  now  a  debt  of  a  thousand  millions  or 
more  is  to  impoverish  us.  We  have  bought  and  sold 
votes  with  money  and  for  party;  and  now  we  are 
learning,  by  lessons  burnt  into  our  hearts,  what  law 
and  government  are  really  worth,  and  what  they  cost. 
We  have  professed  liberty,  but  beyond  all  the  obliga- 
tions of  the  Constitution,  have  been  willing  that  our 
fellow  men  should  suffer  the  wrongs  of  slavery;  and 
now  our  brothers  are  captives  and  prisoners,  while 
slavery  is  at  the  bottom  of  the  whole  boiling  cauldron 
of  our  troubles.  The  scourge  is  upon  us,  are  we  hum- 
bled by  it  ?  We  are  under  the  rod,  do  we  acknowledge 
who  holds  it?  We  recruit  the  ranks  with  bounties  in 
money,  which  may  be  well,  as  a  proof  of  the  willingness 
of  those  that  offer  them;  but  is  an  army  so  recruited 
like  one  that  moves  to  battle  only  for  justice  and  truth  ? 
The  air  is  full  of  criticisms  upon  this  or  that  com- 
mander —  crude,  impatient,  self-glorying,  or  partisan 
speculation !  But  how  many  of  our  people  go  into  the 
closet,  and  there,  on  their  knees  cry,  with  the  Hebrew 
captain,  in  the  humility  of  a  self-forgetful  faith,  '  Our 
eyes  are  upon  thee '  ?  " 

On  Nov.  17,  of  the  same  year.  Thanksgiving  Day,  the 
rector,  in  a  discourse  on  "The  Chastened  Feast,"  took 
for  his  text  the  verse  of  the  Psalms,  "  Rejoice  with  trem- 
bling," and  struck  a  note  of  gratitude  for  mercies,  in  the 
midst  of  discipline,  rather  than  of  warning  and  admo- 
nition. He  dwelt,  appropriately  to  the  occasion,  upon 
the  fact  that  of  the  three  terrible  dealings  of  God  with 


THE    KING'S    MESSENGER  253 

man ,  two  —  famine  and  pestilence  —  had  been  averted ; 
dwelling,  however,  not  alone  upon  the  material  causes 
for  thankfulness,  but  upon  assurance  in  the  divine 
promises. 

On  the  fourth  of  March,  1863,  Dr.  Huntington 
wrote  to  his  sister:  *'  The  date  reminds  us  naturally  that 
just  one  half  of  President  Lincoln's  term  of  office  has 
expired.  Wliat  a  troubled  and  fearful  administration ! 
And  how  anxiously  we  must  look  forward  to  the 
remaining  half!  At  the  close  of  it  shall  we  be  a  dis- 
membered country,  with  local  strifes  and  bitter  jeal- 
ousies, or  one  people  again  ?  Will  the  curse  of  slavery 
be  removed  from  the  land  forever;  or  will  it  have  an 
empire  of  its  own,  founded  on  the  horrid  principle  of 
legalized  oppression  ?  It  is  not  easy  to  believe  the  latter. 
One  of  my  parishioners  lately  said  to  President  Lin- 
coln, in  Washington,  '  I  remember  seeing  you.  Sir, 
when  you  were  president  of  a  railroad  company  in 
Illinois.'  *  Ah,  yes,'  was  the  characteristic  reply:  *and 
if  I  were  President  of  the  railroad  company  now, 
instead  of  being  President  of  the  United  States,  I  guess 
I  should  sleep  better  o'  nights.' 

'*  Our  mother,  I  believe,  was  equally  a  lover  of  peace 
and  of  liberty;  equally  disapproving  war  and  slavery. 
How  strangely  the  two  ideas  have  come  into  conflict 
with  each  other!  But  God  is  a  God  of  both  peace  and 
liberty,  and  He  can  guide  the  storm.  We  are  in  the  midst 
of  Lent  services.     The  frequent  worship  is  delightful." 

In  April,  1863,  the  leading  article  in  the  "Church 
Monthly"  was  from  Dr.  Huntington,  on  the  subject, 
"Loyalty  and  Love,"  a  reconciliation  between  the 
two  conflicting  conditions  of  peace  and  war.  It  was 
possibly  somewhat  out  of  character  that  one  who  had 


254  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

been  brought  up  as  a  believer  in  the  estabhshment  of 
universal  concord,  and  who  had  been  an  advocate  of 
the  Peace  Society,  should  defend  the  maintenance 
of  any  cause  through  military  force.  But  the  spirit 
of  the  times  stirred  even  those  far  less  ardent  in  tem- 
perament to  sympathy  with  the  passage  of  armies,  the 
rejoicing  in  victory,  "  the  tumult  and  the  shoutings  " 
consequent  upon  victorious  conflict.  The  writer  ably 
sustained  the  moral  strength  of  the  principles  involved, 
and  their  nobler  aspect.  He  quoted  from  an  eminent 
statesman,  who  said,  after  extensive  travel  through  the 
country;  "  I  have  nowhere  found  any  feeling  of  exas- 
peration against  the  people  of  the  South,  but  in  every 
point  a  solemn  determination  to  uphold  the  govern- 
ment, at  the  same  time  with  a  sadness  and  a  depth  of 
tenderness  I  will  in  vain  endeavor  to  describe.  This  is 
not  a  war  upon  the  people  of  the  South,  but  a  war 
undertaken  for  their  defense  and  for  their  deliverance." 
After  a  picture  of  what  true  Christian  soldiership 
might  be,  the  article  continues :  "  Light  is  given  us  in 
this  line  of  thought  to  see  how  it  is,  and  to  see  that  it 
is  just  as  faith  ought  to  have  expected,  that  the  high 
and  mighty  Ruler  of  the  Universe,  who  is  the  only  giver 
of  all  victory,  carefully  keeps  the  issues  in  His  own 
hands.  His  are  the  sicknesses  that  waste,  the  drought 
that  famishes,  the  tempests  that  wreck,  the  winds  that 
hinder  or  speed  fleets,  and  the  rains  that  swell  rivers, 
and  the  frosts  that  chill  in  one  place  and  destroy 
miasma  in  another;  and  He  means  to  make  it  manifest, 
doubtless,  before  the  eyes  of  mankind,  that  by  Him 
nations  are  ruled,  squadrons  turned,  and  wars  made 
to  cease.  Numbers,  armaments,  drills,  revenues,  experi- 
ence, courage,  strategy  —  these  are  the  instruments  of 


THE    KING'S    MESSENGER  255 

war;  but  the  Almighty  must  accept  and  bless  them 
before  they  prosper.  He  blows  upon  them  with  His 
indignation,  and  they  are  like  the  chaff  of  the  summer 
threshing-floor  which  the  wind  driveth  away.  May  He 
grant  that  as  defeat  and  loss  school  us  into  energy  and 
order  and  humble  dependence  upon  Him,  so  every 
success  may  lift  hearty  anthems  to  His  praise ! " 

On  the  national  Fast  Day,  that  same  month,  April, 
1863,  another  exposition  from  Hebrew  history  was 
delivered  to  the  flock  at  Emmanuel,  from  the  text, 
"  Hear  now,  O  house  of  Israel :  Is  not  my  way  equal  ? 
are  not  your  ways  unequal  ?  "    Ezekiel  xviii.  25. 

"An  exile  with  his  exiled  fellow-countrymen,  sitting 
by  the  mournful  river  Chebar,  on  'the  hill  of  grief,' 
the  faithful  Ezekiel,  himself  a  splendid  example  of 
patriotic  loyalty,  inflexible  in  his  integrity,  unflinching 
in  his  faith,  summons  the  guilty  Israelites  to  an  august 
reckoning  of  their  sins,  in  Jehovah's  name.  '  Hear  now, 
O  house  of  Israel : '  O  house  of  America !  '  Is  not  my 
way  equal  ?   are  not  your  ways  unequal  ? '  " 

It  was  a  time  when  distrust  and  discouragement 
began  to  be  more  openly  expressed  through  the  pro- 
longed continuance  of  the  struggle.  "Divided  coun- 
sels, party  passions  and  corruptions,  weak  defenses 
and  fruitless  campaigns,  delay,  and  the  new  levies, 
and  the  fresh  millions  of  appropriations,"  were  bringing 
to  light  "  the  moral  falsehoods  which  kill  the  Nation's 
true  life  more  effectually  than  sword  or  shot  or  all  the 
diseases  of  the  hospital  and  camp."  The  lessons  to 
be  gained  from  the  "  long  and  severe  tuition "  were 
obedience  to  the  voice  of  God,  patience.  Christian 
endurance,  solid  adherence  and  loyalty  to  a  fixed  prin- 
ciple, through  all  disasters,  defeats,  and  delays. 


256  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

"Stubborn  resistance  and  exhausting  sieges  where 
we  looked  for  easy  victories;  massive  fortifications  of 
rivers  and  seaports  and  inland  capitals,  where  we  pre- 
dicted open  and  exposed  approaches ;  thousands  found 
in  arms  where  only  hundreds  were  expected ;  combina- 
tion and  determination,  and  promptitude,  and  energy, 
and  perseverance  opposed  to  us,  where  we  told  each 
other  we  should  encounter  only  laxity,  and  weak- 
ness, and  confusion,  and  vacillation;  treachery  and 
division  and  incompetency  discovered  on  our  own 
side,  where  we  flattered  ourselves  there  would  be  no- 
thing but  honor  and  unity  and  signal  ability  to  com- 
mand and  to  prevail.  This  is  God's  method  of  saying 
to  us,  in  the  stern  and  instructive  language  of  facts. 
Are  you  in  earnest  ?  Do  you  believe  as  you  profess  ? 
Is  your  faith  only  in  yourselves,  or  in  the  Lord,  Eternal 
and  Holy,  as  your  Nation's  God?  They  are  God's 
*  equal'  and  righteous  way  in  the  war,  purging  and 
correcting  us  for  our  'unequal'  ways  before  it  came." 

On  the  fourth  Sunday  after  Easter,  April  24,  1864, 
a  sermon  was  delivered  and  afterward  printed  by 
request  of  the  wardens  and  vestry,  which  was  entitled, 
"Personal  Humiliation  demanded  by  the  National 
Danger."  This  was  no  hopeful  summoning  of  multi- 
tudes to  battle  for  the  right;  no  kindling  assurance  of 
the  marks  of  Divine  favor  in  time  of  tribulation;  no 
softening  of  chastisement  by  lessons  of  humble  sub- 
mission and  faith.  In  the  powerful  language  of  a 
prophet  was  depicted  the  widespread  apprehension 
of  impending  public  disaster  which  possessed  serious 
minds. 

"  After  an  interval  of  comparative  quiet  we  seem  to 
be  approaching  one  of  those  critical  and  fearful  turns 


THE    KING'S   MESSENGER  257 

of  campaign  and  battle  where  the  vast  fortunes  and 
interests  of  a  kingdom  have  often  been  gathered  up 
for  a  revolution  in  some  dreadful  valley  of  decision. 
Long  processes  of  planning,  accumulations,  trans- 
porting and  concentration  of  forces,  are  about  coming 
on  both  sides  to  their  maturity  and  their  trial.  It 
would  seem  as  if  the  people  must  be  hushed  with  awe, 
as  nature  seems  to  be,  before  the  crash  of  the  thunder- 
gust  from  the  full  magazines  of  the  sultry  air.   .    .   . 

"  Hostile  armies,  numbered  by  hundreds  of  thou- 
sands of  soldiers,  officered  by  determined  and  exas- 
perated leaders,  with  national  life,  pride,  and  honor 
at  stake,  do  not  meet  and  part  without  making  the 
earth  groan  under  them  and  far  around  them.  If  you 
leave  the  great  moral  considerations,  and  pass  on  to 
call  up  and  prefigure  the  separate  and  particular 
shapes  of  terrible  anguish  which  are  to  darken  and 
distress  the  land  the  moment  these  waiting  collisions 
come,  these  sleeping  monsters  of  armies  awake  and 
uncoil,  and  the  lightnings  are  loosened,  —  anguish  on 
the  battle-field,  in  the  heat  and  thirsts  of  the  sun,  and 
the  chill  of  night ;  anguish  in  ambulances  and  hospitals ; 
anguish  in  thousands  and  tens  of  thousands  of  deso- 
lated homes  all  over  these  mourning  States,  —  why, 
if  we  are  creatures  of  sympathy  or  sensibility  at  all, 
is  it  not  enough  to  restrain  this  eager  chase  for  osten- 
tatious riches.^  " 

Then  follows,  in  scornful  words  of  indignation,  but 
in  sorrow  and  in  sadness,  an  arraignment  of  that  state 
of  society,  due  to  the  rapid  rise  of  fortunes;  "an 
inflated  estimate  of  material  things,  with  the  absorbing 
and  heated  pursuit  of  wealth.  What  wonder  if  some 
whispers   of   discontent   creep   through   the   encamp- 


258  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

ments  of  the  army  and  the  cabins  of  the  navy  ?  From 
the  capital,  through  all  our  large  cities  and  seats  of 
commerce,  out  to  the  remotest  hamlets,  and  from 
rulers  in  the  highest  stations  to  subjects  in  the  mean- 
est, men  are  calculating  the  profits  of  their  oppor- 
tunity. Making  all  allowance  for  benevolent  allevia- 
tions of  the  sufferings  of  soldiers,  these  facts  yet  remain 
undisputed.  Religious  humility  and  that  reverence 
which  the  Nation's  God  designs  by  His  discipline,  and 
demands  in  His  Word,  are  not  generally  produced.  We 
are  not  repentant.  We  are  not  sobered.  We  are  not  on 
our  knees.  We  are  not  a  people  bringing  forth  fruits 
meet  for  repentance."  In  conclusion,  the  better  way 
pointed  out  through  the  text,  "Humble  yourselves 
therefore  under  the  mighty  hand  of  God,"  was  plainly 
enforced;  **  the  patriotism  of  the  true  citizen,  which, by 
daily  speech,  by  gifts,  by  sacrifices  would  strengthen 
the  impending  movements  of  the  forces;  with  an 
increase  of  sympathy  which  binds  classes  more  closely 
together,  an  abatement  of  outward  extravagance,  more 
retirement,  more  recollections,  redoubled  devotion 
to  the  offices  of  worship  and  charity. 

"The  nature  of  a  devout  and  humble  mind  must 
have  changed  very  much  since  the  Scriptures  were 
written,  if,  in  looking  forward  to  the  season  of  blood 
and  sorrow  that  is  before  us,  really  good  men  do  not 
feel  it  to  be  safer  and  wiser  to  be  wherever  prayer  is 
wont  to  be  made,  in  Church  or  in  Chapel,  on  hallowed 
days  or  any  days,  than  in  pleasure  parties,  or  convivial 
clubs,  or  an  unremitted  application  to  the  world's  busi- 
ness. Wliatever  else  w^e  do  for  the  torn  and  bleeding 
country,  we  must  pray  for  it.  Whatever  else  we  leave 
undone,  we  must  urge  our  petitions  to  the  God  of  for- 


THE    KING'S    MESSENGER  259 

giveness,  the  God  of  concord  and  unity,  and  the  God  of 
victory  for  it.  However  else  we  fail,  we  shall  never 
really  fail  in  intercessions  for  the  right  and  for  the 
defenders  of  it,  for  magistrates  and  chiefs,  and  for  all 
the  people,  before  Him  who  heareth  prayer,  and  who 
made  Israel  to  prevail  while  the  commander's  arms 
were  lifted  up  in  supplication." 

A  few  weeks  later  the  preacher  wrote  to  Hadley :  — 

Boston,  June  7,  1864. 
The  world  of  nature  is  full  of  gracious  beauty,  and 
the  season  must  be  favorable  to  the  setting  and  growth 
of  grass.  But  the  human  world  is  full  of  mourning, 
lamentation,  and  woe.  The  battle-field  and  disease 
together  make  great  havoc. 

In  his  own  family  Dr.  Huntington  had  no  losses 
during  the  Civil  War,  although  nephews  and  other 
kinsmen  served  honorably  in  the  field,  and  one  suf- 
fered the  horrors  of  a  southern  prison ;  but  as  pastor  of 
a  large  flock  he  was  called  upon  to  minister  consola- 
tion to  aching  and  bereaved  hearts.  Splendid  young 
men,  parishioners  and  communicants,  perished  in 
battle  or  died  in  the  hospitals;  and  mourners  multi- 
plied as  the  struggle  drew  to  an  end.  Spoken  and 
written  words  of  sympathy,  visits  to  the  afflicted,  last 
services  to  the  departed,  formed  no  small  part  of  his 
labors  as  a  pastor  during  those  dark  months.  It  was 
at  such  times  that  his  rare  power  of  sympathy,  and  the 
sustaining  strength  which  his  own  spiritual  experience 
afforded  to  those  who  came  to  him  for  counsel  and 
courage,  were  deeply  felt.  Prayers,  fervent  and  scrip- 
tural, such  as  in  the  earlier  days  of  his  ministry  helped 


260  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

to  lift  the  hearts  of  his  congregation  to  the  throne 
above,  were  poured  out  in  private  devotions  with  the 
sick,  with  the  anxious  and  heavy-hearted  who  turned 
to  him  in  trouble.  Among  other  forms  of  strength  and 
refreshment  brought  to  such  sorrowing  souls  he  was 
a  strong  believer  in  what  he  pronounced  "the  high 
office  of  sacred  poetry."  In  the  Introduction  to  "Lyra 
Domestica,"  the  title  of  a  collection  which  he  made 
himself,^  he  says  of  the  early  German  hymn  writers: 
"  They  abound  in  those  clear  annunciations  of  spiritual 
truth  which  a  genuine  experience  of  divine  realities 
always  readily  recognizes  as  the  result  of  a  similar 
experience  in  another.  They  reach  down  into  solemn 
depths  of  sorrow  and  up  into  holy  heights  of  joy;  but 
they  do  both  with  an  unbroken  tranquillity  of  spirit 
which  makes  us  feel  that  the  joy  is  chastened  and  the 
sorrow  not  comfortless."  Of  the  concluding  poems  in 
this  volume,  from  different  sources,  the  editor  says: 
"  They  are  sublime  confessions  of  Christ  before  men, 
preaching  his  gospel,  commending  his  sacraments, 
calling  to  his  baptism,  celebrating  his  Eucharist, 
glorifying  his  Nativity,  Easter,  and  Pentecost,  honor- 
ing the  noble  army  of  his  Martyrs,  and  breathing 
down  the  hallowed  fire  of  their  piety  and  prayers 
through  worshiping  generations." 

In  a  Preface  to  "  Hymns  and  Meditations,"  by  Miss 
A.  L.  Waring,  in  1863,  he  expresses  his  own  poetical 
taste  and  discrimination.  "  The  ideas  of  a  Christian 
life  which  are  wrought  into  the  poetry  are  always  both 
strong  and  tender,  vigorous  and  gentle,  brave  and 
trustful.  We  find  few  traces  of  that  refined  religious 
selfishness  on  the  one  hand  and  that  feeble  sentimen- 
^  Lyra  Domestica :  with  additional  poems,  1866. 


THE    KING'S    MESSENGER  261 

talism  on  the  otlier  wliich  vitiate  so  much  of  the  pious 
Htcrature,  and  especially  the  metrical  pious  literature 
of  modern  times.  A  state  of  comfortable  pietistic  com- 
placency is  not  here  put  instead  of  a  self-renouncing 
submission  to  the  perfect  will  of  God,  nor  does  the 
call  to  action  ring  out  with  less  clearness  and  power 
because  we  see  laid  open  before  us  the  divine  depths 
of  a  complete  and  serene  communion  with  the  in- 
dwelling Christ." 

Two  years  later  poems,  "fugitive  and  permanent, 
old  and  new,  near  and  distant,  open  and  obscure," 
were  gathered  together  in  a  volume  called  "Elim,  or 
Hymns  of  Holy  Refreshment,"  with  this  motto :  "  And 
they  came  to  Elim,  where  were  twelve  wells  of  water, 
and  threescore  and  ten  palm  trees,  and  encamped 
there." 

Dr.  Muhlenberg  wrote  of  this  collection,  "How 
did  you  get  together  so  many  beautiful  hymns  ?  " 

Among  the  authors  were  some  little  known  in 
America  at  that  time.  Dr.  Huntington  especially 
delighted  in  the  noble  verse  of  C.  F.  and  of  William 
Alexander.  The  latter,  then  Dean  of  Emly,  and  later 
Archbishop  of  Armagh,  said  in  a  letter  acknowledging 
the  receipt  of  "  Elim : "  — 

"I  am  glad  that  my  wife  and  I  occupy  a  niche  in 
your  volume,  and  hope  that  we  may  be  liked  by  our 
cousins  over  the  sea.  My  wife  has  written  much,  and 
she  has  won  her  way  to  a  real  position,  I  think,  among 
living  poets.  I  have  written  but  little,  scattered,  vaga- 
bond, unfinished  pieces.  I  was  at  Oxford,  where  I  have 
obtained  poetical  prizes.  The  muses  demand  a  life; 
and  I  have  only  had  half  hours  to  give  them."  That 
Mrs.  Alexander's  claim  to  recognition  was  genuine  is 


262  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

proved  by  the  fact  that  in  our  present  "  Church 
Hymnal"  there  are  no  less  than  twelve  hymns  of  her 
composition. 

Notwithstanding  his  strong  love  of  poetry,  a  taste 
which  belonged  more  to  his  own  generation  than  to 
the  present,  Frederic  Huntington  gave  little  to  the 
world.  He  wrote,  while  a  Unitarian  preacher,  some 
hymns  for  special  occasions,  with  "  A  Supplication, " 
of  twelve  or  more  stanzas,  expressing  deep  spiritual 
communing;  and  a  few  touching  lines  in  old  age.  The 
following  estimate  is  both  true  and  appreciative :  — 

"Though  he  lived  almost  an  ascetic  life,  so  far  as 
personal  indulgence  went,  his  sense  of  the  beautiful, 
whether  in  nature  or  in  art,  was  of  the  keenest.  Es- 
pecially was  his  critical  judgment  of  value  in  matters 
of  style.  Perhaps  no  American  writer  ever  had  so  full 
a  command  of  devotional  English  as  he.  His  hold 
upon  the  adjectival  resources  of  the  language  rivaled 
Jeremy  Taylor's.  His  imagination  played  around  a 
sacred  subject  like  a  flame,  lighting  up  whole  territories 
of  contiguous  truth.  Save  for  a  few  hymns  written  in 
early  life,  he  adventured  little  in  the  way  of  original 
verse,  but  there  was  no  lack  in  him  of  the  vision 
and  the  faculty  divine,  the  soul  of  the  poet  shone  ever 
through  the  mantle  of  the  prophet  and  through  the 
fair  linen  of  the  priest. 

'*  Of  the  collections  of  religious  poetry  which  he 
edited,  none,  I  think,  was  so  markedly  illustrative  of 
his  personality  as  the  volume  entitled  *  Elim,  or  H}Tnns 
of  Holy  Refreshment.'  Nowhere  else  does  the  large 
catholicity  of  his  spiritual  nature,  his  ability  to  s^Tiipa- 
thize,  alike  with  the  catholic  and  with  the  individual- 
istic conception  of   Christian   truth,   more   distinctly 


THE    KING'S    MESSENGER  263 

reveal  itself.  There  is  a  mysticism  that  is  sacramental, 
and  there  is  a  mysticism  that  is  non-sacramental,  — 
nay,  almost  anti-sacramental,  — Huntington  did  justice 
to  both.  Probably  he  would  have  made  but  an  indif- 
ferent professor  of  systematic  divinity,  but  that  is 
because  he  was  so  well  versed  in  the  divinity  which 
outlives  all  the  systems,  the  simple  divinity  which 
finds  centre  and  pivot  in  the  person  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ."  1 

It  has  been  already  remarked  that  there  was 
hardly  any  time  when  the  earnest  preacher  did  not 
express  himself  from  the  editorial  chair  as  well  as 
from  the  pulpit.  In  1861  he  took  charge  of  the  "  Church 
Monthly,  "  in  conjunction  with  Dr.  George  M.  Randall, 
in  the  interest  of  the  extension  of  the  Church  in  Massa- 
chusetts. In  order  to  bring  the  principles  of  the  faith, 
its  doctrines,  and  historical  defenses  within  the  reach 
of  the  uninstructed,  the  use  of  a  column  was  obtained 
in  a  daily  newspaper,  the  "Boston  Traveller."  The 
introductory  letter,  signed  F.  D.  Huntington,  explicitly 
set  forth  that  it  was  not  intended  for  controversy, 
partisan  strife,  or  personalities.  "We  shall  not  conceal 
our  purpose  to  recommend,  so  far  as  we  fairly  can,  the 
scriptural  standards,  orderly  ways,  primitive  discipline, 
and  catholic  spirit  of  this  apostolic  communion,  be- 
lieving as  we  heartily  do  that  no  greater  blessing  can 
be  offered  to  our  fellow  men,  to  their  families  and  their 
children."  When  the  articles  closed,  at  the  end  of  the 
year  1865,  after  nearly  the  whole  round  of  the  Chris- 
tian year,  it  was  stated  that,  "  We  have  been  able  to 
continue   much   longer  than   we  had  any  reason   to 

^  Memorial  Sermon :  "  A  Good  Shepherd,"  Rev.  William  R.  Hunt- 
ington, D.  D, 


264  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

expect  would  be  possible.  For  the  most  part  the  Chris- 
tian bodies  around  us  in  this  country,  under  a  benign 
and  patient  Providence,  are  working  out  their  experi- 
ments with  religious  sincerity.  We  are  more  than 
content  that  the  truths  of  our  fold  have  a  fair  and  equal 
opportunity  for  development  among  them.  We  have 
no  right  to  demand  recognition  for  them  except  as  they 
furnish  a  superior  and  scriptural  power  in  the  great 
conflict  of  the  age,  between  faith  and  an  unbelieving 
self-will;  except  as  they  tend  to  mould  the  characters, 
manners,  homes,  and  social  institutions  of  men  into 
righteous,  noble,  and  reverential  forms;  except  as 
they  offer  Christianity  to  the  understanding  and 
affections  of  the  people  as  a  commanding,  genial,  and 
beautiful  reality :  —  even  the  power  of  God  and  the 
wisdom  of  God  unto  their  salvation." 

Another  branch  of  church  teaching  through  the 
press  was  the  publication  of  a  number  of  tracts  on 
different  subjects.  One  of  these  was  delivered  in  the 
series  of  '*  Price  Lectures,"  "  The  Roman  Catholic 
Principle."  "Two  Ways  in  Religion"  contrasted  *'  in 
a  most  admirable  manner,  and  without  offensive  epi- 
thets or  accusations,  the  Unitarian  and  Trinitarian 
systems."  An  address  before  the  Diocesan  Board  of 
Missions  claims  "  Massachusetts  as  a  Field  for  Church 
Missions."  The  principle  of  the  tithe  is  treated  in  the 
pamphlet  entitled  "  Systematic  Offerings  for  Christ,"  a 
presentation  of  the  Christian  duty  to  lay  aside  each 
week  a  fixed  sum  for  the  support  of  the  Lord's  house 
and  the  extension  of  Christ's  Kingdom,  which  might 
well  be  taken  to  heart  by  thousands  of  careless  or  unin- 
structed  communicants  at  the  present  day.  Among 
other  published  addresses  was  "  A  Plea  for  an  Open 


THE    KING'S    MESSENGER  265 

Church,"  which  resulted  in  an  organization  to  pro- 
mote the  estabHshment  of  free  churches,  at  a  period 
when  to  sell  pews  or  rent  sittings  was  a  fixed  custom 
with  the  wardens  and  vestries  of  a  parish. 

Rt.  Rev.  Carlton  Chase,  Bishop  of  New  Hampshire, 
wrote  to  him,  June  13,  18G8 :  "  It  is  a  beautiful  quality 
of  your  mind  that  you  see  every  nail's  head  —  and  if  it 
needs  striking,  you  strike  it  —  and  you  miss  it  not.  I 
have  seen  two  or  three  of  your  things  lately,  which  I 
admired  exceedingly.  Nobody  surpasses  you  in  the 
analysis  of  character  and  truth.  At  brushing  away 
mists  you  have  a  wonderful  skill.  I  have  often  recom- 
mended '  The  Rock  of  Ages '  to  persons  who  I  thought 
would  admire  the  beautiful  preface,  if  they  did  not 
yield  to  the  force  of  the  book. 

"  May  you  live  long,  my  dear  brother,  to  bless  the 
Church  and  the  world  with  the  precious  fruits  of  your 
studies.  I  do  not  see  how  you  find  time  to  prepare  for 
so  many  special  calls." 

One  of  the  most  important  treatises  published  by 
Dr.  Huntington,  after  he  left  the  Unitarian  body  and 
became  a  priest  of  the  Church,  was  the  Introduction 
to  an  American  edition  of  an  English  theological  pub- 
lication :  '*  The  Rock  of  Ages,  or  Scripture  Testimony 
to  the  One  Eternal  Godhead,  "  by  Rev.  Edward  Henry 
Bickersteth.  It  is  impossible  in  so  short  a  space  to 
give  sufficient  extracts  from  what  was  in  fact  Dr. 
Huntington's  last  word  on  the  subject  of  his  change 
of  belief,  to  those  who  had  assailed  him  for  it.  The 
whole  argument  which  he  thus  commends,  is  an  appeal 
to  "the  one  Book,"  the  texts  classified  and  carefully 
collated,  so  as  to  present  the  weight  of  evidence  as  sim- 
ply and  directly  as  possible.    The  fact  that  its  author 


W6  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

passed  from  under  the  cloud  of  intellectual  doubt  into 
the  acceptance  of  Catholic  truth  through  the  devout 
study  of  God's  word  made  the  work  especially  valuable 
to  one  who  had  himself  experienced  uncertainty  and 
spiritual  distress.  He  knew,  no  man  better,  the  agonies 
of  the  New  England  conscience  over  definitions  of 
dogma  as  well  as  the  joy  received  through  divine 
illumination,  and  it  was  from  deep  conviction  that  he 
wrote  in  the  opening  sentence  of  the  Introduction, "  The 
doctrine  of  the  Trinity,  offered  to  man  as  a  benignant 
revelation  of  practical  truth,  ought  always  to  be 
handled  in  a  spirit  of  Christian  tenderness."  The  last 
volume  of  sermons  he  ever  published  opened  with  a 
discourse  entitled  "The  Trinity  a  Practical  Truth," 
which  closes  with  a  solemn  appeal :  "  Has  this  wonder- 
ful and  blessed  doctrine  entered  in,  to  bear  its  gracious 
fruit  in  your  own  weak  and  tempted  lives?  Do  you 
personally,  laying  aside  your  own  pride,  humbly 
repenting  of  your  sin,  believe  in  God,  as  they  must 
believe  who  are  to  live  and  not  die  ? 

"  Daily  having  confessed  Him,  are  you  proceeding  in 
a  godly  life  more  and  more,  growing  into  a  higher  sanc- 
tification  of  every  power  and  affection  of  your  soul? 

"  Only  he  who  so  belie veth,  saith  your  God,  is 
saved."  ' 

In  a  letter  on  his  birthday,  May  28,  1867,  Dr.  Hunt- 
ington wrote:  "Forty-eight!  How  much  there  seems 
yet  to  be  done!  How  little  accomplished!  There  are 
those  thirteen  years  of  a  ministry,  not  exactly  of  Uni- 
tarianism,  to  be  sure,  but  in  the  Unitarian  denomina- 
tional interest.  How  shall  I  get  them  back  ?  Alas,  only 
by  trying  to  prevent  others  from  a  like  mistake." 
^  Christ  in  the  Christian  Year :  Trinity  to  Advent. 


THE   KING'S   MESSENGER  267 

In  the  eight  years  passed  as  a  presbyter,  Frederic 
Huntington's  pubHc  services  were  rendered  almost 
entirely  to  his  own  diocese.  In  the  meantime,  however, 
his  reputation  increased  and  his  gifts  and  influence 
became  more  widely  known.  When  the  death  of  the 
Right  Reverend  George  Burgess  left  the  Church  in  the 
state  of  Maine  without  a  spiritual  head,  the  choice  of 
the  Convention  fell  upon  Dr.  Huntington.  The  deci- 
sion which  led  to  his  dechning  the  Episcopal  office  at 
that  time,  was  made,  as  he  stated  to  the  standing  com- 
mittee, on  broad  grounds,  the  comparative  claims  of 
the  fields  of  labor.  The  usefulness,  abundance  of 
resources,  and  grave  responsibilities  of  his  position 
in  Massachusetts  could  not  be  lightly  estimated,  and 
the  voice  of  the  Church  concurred  in  his  choice. 

The  only  General  Convention  of  the  Episcopal 
Church  which  he  attended  as  a  member  of  the  House  of 
Deputies,  was  that  held  in  New  York,  in  1868.  He  took 
part  with  deep  interest  in  all  the  proceedings,  but  it 
was  not  his  temperament  to  feel  tolerant  toward  exces- 
sive debate.  A  later  newspaper  communication,  signed 
"Connecticut  River,"  expresses  something  of  this 
impatience,  and  he  makes  there  a  suggestion  that  each 
deputy,  "  before  he  introduces  any  new  matter  for 
consideration,  ask  himself  at  least  five  times,  and  per- 
haps some  judicious  friend  once,  whether  it  is  required 
by  the  religious  interests  of  the  Church;"  and  that 
"when  it  is  pretty  evident  to  common  sense  how  a 
question  is  to  be  decided,  those  of  a  contrary  mind 
shall  generally  give  over  the  forensic  part  of  the  fight." 

He  himself  gave  unremitting  attention  to  the  work 
in  committees,  which  he  believed  to  be  important  in 
saving  valuable  time  to  the  House. 


268  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

Writing  to  his  sister,  Nov.  3,  1868,  he  said:  "Con- 
trary to  many  timid  apprehensions  and  some  un- 
friendly prognostications,  there  was  a  remarkable 
harmony  from  first  to  last.  No  ill-feeling,  —  no  bad 
temper,  no  faction,  no  strict  party  vote  on  any  ques- 
tion. Even  the  most  critical  topics  were  discussed  and 
disposed  of  with  entire  courtesy  and  kindness,  some- 
times with  playfulness,  generally  with  seriousness  and 
dignity.  When  the  regular  business  was  sometimes 
interrupted  for  a  brief  session  of  silent  or  spoken 
prayer,  on  some  peculiarly  weighty  subject  matter, 
pending  the  deliberations,  like  the  choice  of  a  Mis- 
sionary Bishop,  the  effect  w^as  very  solemn  indeed. 
Many  people  outside  are  disappointed  at  reading  the 
reports,  because  they  are  so  much  taken  up  with  mat- 
ters of  law  and  order.  That  is  doubtless  one  of  the 
characteristics  of  our  Church.  But  the  fact  is  that  the 
real  moral  and  religious  interest  of  the  occasion  is  not 
shown  at  all  in  the  reports  of  the  secular  papers,  be- 
cause it  centres  in  the  great  evening  meetings,  when 
the  manifold  and  extensive  missionary  operations  of 
the  Body  are  considered. 

"  I  suppose  you  have  seen  the  account  in  the  '  Spirit 
of  ^lissions,'  of  the  grand  gathering  at  the  Academy 
of  Music.  I  have  hardly  ever  been  more  awed  than 
when  four  thousand  persons  repeated  the  Apostles' 
creed,  with  a  voice  like  the  sound  of  many  waters;  and 
at  the  name  of  Jesus  the  whole  vast  assembly  bowed 
low,  as  if  a  wave  of  the  Spirit  swept  over  them,  bending 
every  head.  It  was  a  great  pleasure  to  me  to  become 
acquainted  with  many  Churchmen,  Bishops,  and 
others,  from  distant  parts  of  the  country,  those,  from 
the  South  not  having  been  North  for  many  years.'* 


THE    KING'S    MESSENGER  269 

In  18G9  the  rector  of  Emmanuel  Church  was  still  in 
the  prime  of  life,  reaching  in  that  year  the  age  of  fifty. 
He  occupied  a  position  conspicuous  for  public  useful- 
ness, he  was  honored  by  the  community  in  which  he 
lived,  beloved  by  his  parish,  with  a  large  flock  listening 
to  his  words  and  dependent  upon  him  for  instruction, 
guidance,  and  sympathy.  The  Church  in  Massa- 
chusetts was  rapidly  extending  its  field  of  influence, 
and  the  promise  of  his  future  labors  in  the  diocese  were 
such  as  to  satisfy  any  man's  ambition.  The  weight 
which  pressed  upon  him  most  heavily,  as  a  burden  he 
felt  unequal  at  times  to  bear,  was  that  of  so  presenting 
the  Word  of  God,  in  season  and  out  of  season,  as  to  win 
hearts  to  Christ  and  to  keep  alive  their  spiritual  conse- 
cration. In  his  sermon  entitled  "Christian  Loneliness,"^ 
the  preacher  undoubtedly  drew  from  passages  in  his 
own  life,  which  occurred  not  only  when  he  struggled 
with  the  uncertainties  of  religious  belief,  but  in  con- 
nection with  the  sacred  calling  of  a  shepherd  of  souls. 
With  his  lofty  conception  of  what  preaching  should  be, 
he  was  more  and  more  oppressed  with  the  difficulty  of 
gaining  time  for  adequate  preparation.  It  became  a 
necessity  for  the  busy  pastor  either  to  do  his  writing 
at  midnight  or  to  betake  himself  to  another  house 
where  he  could  be  undisturbed.  These  inconveniences, 
however,  were  of  no  account,  compared  with  his  dis- 
satisfaction over  the  result.  The  greater  his  facility 
of  composition,  after  the  practice  of  years,  the  more 
abhorrent  it  seemed  to  his  sensitive  conscience  to 
produce  a  sermon  which  lacked  spontaneity  and  the 
inward  inspiration.  No  task,  all  his  life  through,  was 
so  delightful  as  to  employ  his  intellectual  gifts  upon  a 
*  Christian  Believing  and  Living. 


270  FREDERIC   DAN    HUNTINGTON 

subject  in  which  his  mind  was  deeply  engaged.  But 
it  was  proportionately  difficult  to  feel  that  he  could 
always  do  justice  to  his  audience  in  the  composition 
of  two,  or  even  one  new  discourse  a  week.  The  reality 
of  this  state  of  mind,  familiar  to  earnest  natures,  but 
at  this  time  in  him  almost  overpowering,  may  be  seen 
from  a  letter  written  just  before  his  son  was  admitted 
to  the  diaconate. 

Boston,  March  23,  1868. 
My  dear  George  :  —  We  shall  expect  to  see  you 
at  the  end  of  the  week.  As  you  will  naturally  see,  the 
solemnity  and  sacredness  of  this  period  of  your  life 
are  felt  by  me  as  well  as  by  you.  Twenty-six  years  of 
service  in  the  ministry  have  not  made  it  look  common- 
place, or  easy,  or  otherwise  than  awful.  The  attrac- 
tions, privileges,  blessings,  of  the  office  are  real,  but 
they  do  not  lighten  the  weight  of  accountability;  no- 
thing can.  I  believe  you  are  prepared  for  the  work,  so 
far  as  preparation  can  go  before  the  work  itself.  But 
it  is  a  school,  a  discipline,  a  tentative,  unmastered  busi- 
ness all  through,  from  the  beginning  to  the  end.  Who- 
ever does  not  expect  to  learn  only  from  hour  to  hour, 
or  God's  heavenly  grace  in  it,  and  to  find  it  a  path  of 
incessant  humiliations,  had  better  forsake  it  early.  I 
think  I  can  truly  say  that  the  agony,  the  crucifixion 
of  hope  and  pride  and  ambition,  that  I  habitually 
suffer,  Sunday  nights,  would  long  ago  have  driven  me 
from  any  other  calling.  The  Bible,  the  promises,  prayer, 
the  love  of  the  Church,  the  loyalty  to  Christ,  these  are 
the  stay  and  staff. 

After  a  season  of  incessant  labor  there  was  great 
refreshment  in  a  visit  to  the  farm.    From  thence,  on  a 


THE    KING'S    MESSENGER  271 

short  spring  vacation,  he  wrote  to  his  two  Httle  girls  at 
home. 

Hadley, 
Dear  Old  Hadley,  May  11,  1868. 

Dear  Ruth  and  Mary  :  —  After  what  I  wrote 
Jamie  about  Lock  you  will  be  glad  to  hear  that  he  has 
been  found.  He  and  Ponto  have  had  a  good  time  all 
day.  The  squirrels  have  been  very  troublesome,  eating 
up  and  carrying  off  corn;  and  I  have  shot  two.  One 
of  them  the  white  kitten  took  for  her  portion;  the  other, 
Ponto  buried,  — for  future  use  I  suppose,  in  the  garden, 
in  one  of  the  flower-beds,  not  yours  though.  If  you 
plant  squirrels,  what  will  come  up  ?  I  don't  know ;  — 
hops,  perhaps.  The  carpenter  has  been  here  and  we 
have  been  building  a  new  arbor.  This  morning  we 
got  up  before  five  o'clock  and  liked  it  so  well  that  we 
mean  to  do  it  again;  it  gives  such  a  long  day  for  the 
work. 

Cousin  Charlotte  has  bought  a  new  carpet  for  her 
parlor  and  invited  some  of  the  North  Hadley  people 
to  come  to-morrow  afternoon  and  help  her  make  it  up, 
and  then  take  tea  with  her.  It  seems  to  be  a  way  they 
have.  here.  Your  Aunt  Bethia  is  going,  and  I  am 
expected  to  go  to  the  tea  and  meet  Mr.  Beaman. 

We  saw  in  Hadley  Street  the  largest  flock  of  birds  — 
swallows  —  that  I  ever  saw  anywhere.  There  must 
have  been  several  thousands.  This  evening  there  are 
bonfires  in  the  fields,  and  they  are  very  beautiful. 

Now  I  am  going  to  read  the  paper  your  mother 
sent  me.  Give  my  love  to  her,  and  to  Arria  and 
Jamie. 

Your  ever  affectionate  father, 

F.  D.  H. 


272  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

In  x\ugust,  1868,  Dr.  Huntington  wrote  to  a  pa- 
rishioner who  had  begged  him  to  find  an  opening  in 
Massachusetts  for  a  certain  presbyter,  of  whom  she 
had  formed  rather  an  undue  estimate: — 

"If  B.  is  doing  work  where  he  is,  by  all  means  let 
him  stay  there.  He  evidently  thinks  Romanism  and 
modem  Protestantism  are  the  only  Christianity  there 
ever  was  in  the  world :  does  n't  remember  that  the 
Kingdom  of  God  stood  some  six  hundred  years  before 
either  of  them; —  takes  St.  Paul's  mention  of  his  pecul- 
iar and  individual  vocation  to  preach  as  upsetting  the 
practice  and  doctrine  of  the  original  Tw^elve,  and  even 
the  Saviour's  own  institution  and  commission; — con- 
founds the  tolerance  of  continental  Protestants  (who 
w^ere  orderly  but  not  regular)  temporarily  with  the 
radicalism  of  these  days;  —  puts  Whately  above  the 
whole  line  of  Anglican  Divines  and  Early  Fathers,  — 
overlooks  all  that  the  N.  T.  insists  upon  as  the  Gospel 
of  the  Kingdom ;  —  fails  to  see  that  '  exchanges '  be- 
tween denominations  are  always  inconsistencies  (for 
if  there  is  a  real  difference  in  sacred  things,  enough 
to  base  a  separate  denomination  upon,  how  can  it  be 
right  to  ignore  it  in  the  public  instruction  ?),  and  would 
make  a  perfect  farce  of  the  Church's  ordaining  a  Con- 
gregational Minister,  if  he  may  let  a  Congregational 
Minister  into  his  pulpit  the  next  week ;  —  and  does  not 
consider  that  the  moment  you  open  the  doors  for 
altering  the  Prayer-book  you  are  quite  as  likely  to  put 
Ritualism  into  it  as  Puritanism. 

*'  The  summer  hastens  fast.  Monday  next  I  go  to 
Boston,  and  so  work  begins. 

'*  Brooks  at  Trinity  will  be  a  great  accession  to  our 
cause  in  Boston." 


THE    KING'S    MESSENGER  273 

It  was  at  the  General  Convention  in  1868  that  a 
favorable  report  was  made  on  the  creation  of  three 
new  dioceses  within  the  state  of  New  York.  Not 
many  weeks  after,  these  jurisdictions  elected  their 
respective  heads.  At  the  Albany  Convention  Dr. 
Huntington  was  a  strong  candidate;  a  little  later  the 
first  Convention  of  Central  New  York  elected  Dr. 
Abram  Littlejohn,  who  became  the  choice  for  Bishop 
of  Long  Island,  the  following  week,  and  accepted  that 
invitation.  At  a  second  election,  held  in  Syracuse, 
January  10, 1869,  Frederic  Dan  Huntington  was  chosen 
Bishop  of  Central  New  York. 

This  new  call  to  the  Episcopate  came  to  him  with  a 
far  more  compelling  force  than  the  preceding.  One 
element  in  a  change  of  feeling  was  the  altered  aspect 
of  parochial  activity.  The  prosperity  of  Emmanuel 
Church  seemed  assured,  under  the  divine  blessing. 
Its  congregation,  zealous  in  good  works  and  united  in 
spirit,  had  completed  its  Mission  Church,  and  was 
likely  to  enlarge  still  further  in  that  direction.  Mean- 
time, although  Dr.  Huntington  was  doing  in  Massa- 
chusetts, as  openly  conceded,  much  of  a  bishop's  work, 
this  could  not  fail  to  be  under  increasing  disadvantages. 
To  the  head  of  a  new  diocese,  in  the  founding  of  its 
institutions,  and  the  extension  of  its  missionary  work, 
there  opened  a  field,  made  attractive  by  its  harmony, 
its  sympathy  between  clergy  and  laity,  and  its  history 
under  the  leadership  of  Hobart  and  De  Lancey.  The 
Bishop  of  Western  New  York,  from  whose  oversight 
the  recently  united  parishes  were  removed,  was  a 
warm  personal  friend,  eager  to  welcome  a  brother 
with    every    expression    of    affection    and    good-will. 

Frederic  Huntington  was  not  one  to  meet  so  august 


274  FREDERIC   DAN   HUNTINGTON 

a  call  without  careful  consideration.  He  was  as  deeply 
impressed  with  a  sense  of  his  own  unworthiness  for  the 
higher  office  as  of  his  insufficiency  to  reach  the  stand- 
ard he  had  set  for  himself  as  parish  preacher.  His 
was  not  a  nature  to  rush  lightly  into  any  new  path 
opening  before  him,  or  to  set  a  value  on  the  worldly 
inducements  of  honor  and  preferment.  It  was  the 
large  interests  involved  and  the  high  ends  in  view 
which  induced  his  acceptance.  In  a  spirit  of  humility, 
but  one  of  hopefulness  and  anticipation,  he  sent  to  the 
standing  committee  of  the  diocese  of  Central  New 
York,  on  the  Feast  of  the  Conversion  of  St.  Paul, 
a  letter  signifying  his  acceptance,  subject  to  ecclesi- 
astical concurrence. 

Boston,  Jan.  19,  '69. 
To  A.  J.  P. 

You  will  be  interested,  and  the  others,^  to  know  that 
I  shall  have  an  Indian  Mission  in  my  Diocese,  on  the 
Onondaga  Reservation. 

Yesterday  was  a  terrible  day.  I  sent  in  my  letter  of 
resignation,  and  the  remonstrances  and  persuasions 
and  offers  of  every  kind  of  pecuniary  and  other  induce- 
ments to  stay  here  were  hard  to  bear.  They  break 
sleep  and  distress  the  spirit.  It  touches  me  that  you  are 
so  merciful. 

Ever  affectionately, 

F.  D.  H. 

Boston,  Feb.  6,  1869. 
To  A.  L.  P. 

We  are  walking,  of  course,  among  sad  faces  and 
weeping  eyes,  and  pleading  remonstrances.    Only  one 
^  The  Dakota  League. 


THE    KING'S    MESSENGER  275 

comforter  can  turn  the  valley  of  Baca  into  a  well  of 
spiritual  refreshment,  and  through  this  "  Achor  "  open 
"a  Door  of  Hope."  The  roots  that  have  been  striking 
nearly  thirty  years  in  one  spot  are  all  to  be  torn  up. 
This  is  the  third  time  such  a  wrench  has  come;  but 
never  before  have  we  been  dislodged  from  this  com- 
munity. I  trust  my  decision  of  the  question  is  right. 
The  nature  of  the  office,  its  sacred  and  solemn  demands 
and  peculiar  opportunities,  the  fine  Missionary  field 
in  the  Diocese,  the  unity  of  feeling  and  action  among 
the  Clergy,  the  strength  and  wealth  of  my  Parish  here, 
my  own  need  of  change  of  work  to  save  health  and 
prolong  life,  are  among  the  chief  reasons.  It  is  a  com- 
fort to  find  that  the  wise  and  good  men  of  the  Church, 
standing  aloof  from  either  local  interest,  the  Bishops 
and  others,  uniformly  bid  me  go.  May  Christ's  strength 
only  be  made  perfect  in  my  weakness,  and  may  the 
Church  be  served  and  advanced! 

Through  Lent  I  want  to  give  the  dear  flock  here 
everything  I  can.  Bishop  Smith  writes  that  he  should 
prefer  to  have  the  Consecration  in  Boston,  which,  of 
course  suits  us  all. 

Among  the  friends  in  New  England  who  were  dis- 
appointed, his  brethren  in  the  diocese  gave  expression 
to  their  sense  of  loss  and  of  sincere  regret.  Although 
an  invitation  to  a  "  Clerical  breakfast,"  when  privately 
suggested,  was  declined,  from  a  characteristic  distaste 
for  functions  and  laudations,  the  letters  of  sympathy 
received  at  that  time  were  preserved  with  deep  appre- 
ciation. In  resolutions  sent  by  the  annual  Convocation, 
"the  growth  and  prosperity  of  the  Church  in 'Massa- 
chusetts during  the  preceding  years"  were  attributed 


276  FREDERIC    DAN   HUNTINGTON 

"  in  a  great  degree  to  the  blessing  of  God  upon  your 
faithful  and  loving  labors."  Most  of  the  Church  news- 
papers commended  the  elevation  to  the  Episcopate 
of  one  eminently  fitted  for  the  office.  To  his  personal 
characteristics,  private  correspondence  and  the  press 
of  that  period  bear  interesting  testimony. 

A  Boston  contributor  to  a  Chicago  weekly  calls  him 
"a  perfect  steam-engine  in  his  untiring  and  amazing 
zeal."  A  brother  clergyman  expresses  his  admiration 
for  one  who,  having  a  wealthy,  fashionable  metropolitan 
parish,  still  retained  and  kept  ever  aglow  a  "  Missionary 
heart "  to  care  for  and  go  after  the  poor  and  dispersed. 

An  editorial  speaks  of  "  the  warm-hearted  sympathy 
with  every  effort  to  advance  the  kingdom  of  Christ  or 
to  alleviate  the  sufferings  of  humanity,  his  accessi- 
bility to  every  claim  upon  his  attention,  his  unwearied 
patience,  kindliness,  and  gentleness  of  manners."  One 
of  the  leading  bishops  of  that  time,  writing  of  his 
thanksgiving  over  the  choice  to  the  sacred  office  of 
one  whom  he  esteemed  and  valued,  continues,  in  a 
strain  more  personal  and  peculiarly  appropriate: 
"  While  for  the  Church  of  God  I  rejoice,  for  yourself  I 
can  only  express  deep  sympathy.  The  experience  of 
over  seven  years  in  the  Episcopate,  and  that,  too, 
under  the  most  favorable  circumstances,  shows  that 
it  is  a  position  of  unusual  care,  great  self-sacrifice, 
constant  perplexity  and  annoyances.  To  one  who  has 
nestled  closely  to  the  heart  of  an  attached  congrega- 
tion, and  been  able  to  feel  under  his  head  the  pulsa- 
tions of  their  love,  the  isolation  of  official  dignity  and 
the  complete  divorce  from  all  parochial  ties,  is  felt 
with  fearful  power  and  pain.  No  honors  given  to  the 
Bishop  are  as  sweet  as  the  warm  love  given  to  the 


THE    KING'S    MESSENGER  277 

Pastor;  and  you  will  often  yearn  for  the  glowing 
affection  and  kindling  sympathies  produced  by  parish 
intimacies,  not  found  in  the  higher  office  to  which  you 
are  called."  These  words  from  the  Bishop  of  Pennsyl- 
vania ^  were  prophetic  to  him  whom  he  addressed,  of 
many  future  pangs  of  separation  from  the  generous 
and  devoted  flock  he  was  leaving  and  of  the  immedi- 
ate pains  of  parting.  They  are  thus  expressed  in  the 
farewell  sermon  at  the  conclusion  of  eight  years  of 
ministry :  — 

"Ever  since  I  had  notice,  through  the  voice  of  the 
Church,  that  the  Master  had  another  post  for  me,  and 
especially  during  all  this  solemn  leave-taking  Lent, 
when  I  have  occasionally  turned  my  thoughts  from  the 
absorbing  occupations  here  to  the  untried  office  as- 
signed me,  I  have  wondered  how  I  could  spare  all  the 
intimate  and  tender  attachments  which  are  possible 
to  a  Minister  and  his  family  only  in  pastoral  relations. 
After  the  air  has  been  so  warmed  for  us,  all  our  lives, 
by  affections  strengthening  every  day,  our  hearts  will 
be  likely  to  find  almost  any  other  climate  less  genial 
and  less  comforting. 

"  We  have  endeavored  to  subordinate  what  is  per- 
sonal to  the  claims  of  the  Kingdom  of  God.  Less 
worthy  influences  may  have  stolen  in  unawares;  and 
at  any  rate  I  have  no  idea  of  setting  up  a  claim  for  the 
merits  of  a  great  sacrifice.  I  only  ask  that  you  will 
hold  in  occasional  recollection  my  dependence  on  the 
Spirit  of  God,  my  inexperience  in  the  way  I  am  to  take, 
and  my  need  to  be  kept,  through  the  power  of  your 
Christian  intercessions,  a  wakeful  watchman,  a  wise 
builder,  a  diligent  Missionary,  a  patient  and  impartial 

*  Rt.  Rev.  William  Bacon  Stevens. 


278  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

pastor  of  a  large  and  vigorous  Flock,  led  hitherto  by 
Master-shepherds." 

Associations  and  affections,  so  precious  and  so 
comforting,  are  not  of  the  earth  alone.  The  last  Christ- 
mas of  his  life,  Bishop  Huntington  wrote  to  a  former 
parishioner  by  whom  the  beautiful  Memorial  has  been 
erected  in  Emmanuel  Church  to  its  first  rector :  — 

"  No  member  of  the  dear  old  Flock  is  more  mindful, 
I  believe,  than  you  are  of  those  happy  days  when  you 
and  your  father  used  to  sit  before  me,  and  close  to  me, 
in  '  Emmanuel.'  Yes, '  Happy  Days '  they  were,  and  all 
days  since  have  been  better  for  them." 


CHAPTER   IX 

ENTRANCE   ON  THE   EPISCOPATE 

"  Then  said  he  :  I  am  the  guide  of  those  pilgrims  that  are  going  to 
the  Celestial  country." 

The  diocese  of  Central  New  York,  organized  in 
Convention  Nov.  10,  1868,  was  set  apart  from  that  of 
Western  New  York,  and  included  fourteen  counties 
in  the  centre  of  the  great  commonwealth,  numbering 
within  its  jurisdiction  one  hundred  and  six  parishes 
and  missions,  and  one  hundred  and  seventeen  clergy. 
Of  the  six  large  seats  of  population  the  choice  of  a 
See  City  fell  naturally  between  Utica  and  Syracuse, 
although  cordial  overtures  looking  towards  the  bishop's 
residence  were  made  from  several  other  cities.  Reasons 
laid  before  him  decided  the  future  diocesan  to  select 
Syracuse;  one  strong  inducement,  in  view  of  his  rela- 
tions to  the  whole  flock  under  his  care,  being  the  con- 
venient railroad  facilities  in  all  directions.  The  region, 
which  he  soon  rapidly  traversed  from  end  to  end,  is 
one  of  unusual  loveliness,  fertility,  and  agricultural 
resources,  with  trade  and  manufacturing  interests 
which  have  steadily  increased.  Its  most  commanding 
educational  institution  is  Cornell  University,  but  it 
includes  Syracuse  and  Colgate  Universities  and  Ham- 
ilton College.  All  through  the  rich  farming  country 
are  quiet  villages,  the  abode  of  a  refined  and  stable 


280  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

population,  the  older  communities  to  be  found  in  the 
hill  towns,  where  churches,  courthouses,  and  acad- 
emies were  erected  in  the  early  days.  The  picturesque 
lakes,  the  smiling  valleys,  the  grand  stretches  of  upland 
looking  towards  the  wilderness,  combine  advantages 
of  climate  and  scenery  unsurpassed  in  our  northern 
latitudes. 

The  salt  springs  in  Syracuse  early  attracted  a  com- 
pany of  settlers  who  developed  these  natural  resources 
and  laid  the  foundations  of  a  prosperous  city,  its  op- 
portunities for  trade  and  manufacture  being  still 
further  increased  by  the  opening  of  the  Erie  Canal. 
From  the  beginning,  the  active  spirit  of  the  great  West 
pervaded  this  business  centre,  while  Utica,  only  sixty 
miles  nearer  Albany,  retained  the  conservative  char- 
acter of  that  section  of  the  state. 

The  consecration  of  Frederic  Dan  Huntington  to 
the  Episcopate  took  place  in  Emmanuel  Church,  Bos- 
ton, on  April  8,  1869.  Rt.  Rev.  Benjamin  B.  Smith,  of 
Kentucky,  then  the  presiding  bishop,  was  the  conse- 
crator  and  Rt.  Rev.  Arthur  Cleveland  Coxe,  Bishop  of 
Western  New  York,  the  preacher.  The  occasion  was 
one  of  much  interest;  impressive  in  the  beauty  of  the 
service  and  the  deep  sympathy  manifested  by  those 
present.  On  the  following  day  the  newly-made  prelate 
ordained  his  eldest  son,  George  Putnam  Huntington, 
to  the  priesthood,  and,  after  holding  a  confirmation  for 
his  parishioners  at  Emmanuel,  set  forth  across  the 
Hudson  for  his  new  field  of  labor. 

His  first  service  was  held  in  Grace  Church,  Utica, 
where,  among  the  floral  decorations,  the  text,  "  My  grace 
is  sufficient  for  thee,"  impressed  the  new  chief  pastor 
by  its  touching  significance.    Following  directly  were 


ENTRANCE    ON   THE    EPISCOPATE        281 

confirmations  in  New  Hartford,  Aubuni,  in  the  three 
parishes  in  Syracuse,  and  the  two  in  Oswego.  From 
the  latter  place  the  rector  of  Christ  Church  had  writ- 
ten, early  in  March,  concerning  the  coming  visita- 
tion :  — 

We  are  counting  the  days,  and  are  very  much  like 
children  at  school  looking  forward  to  the  pleasure  of 
home  with  their  father.  May  God  give  to  us  all  his 
blessing  is  the  prayer  of 

Yours  very  truly, 

Amos  B.  Beach. 

In  January,  1869,  Rev.  Joseph  M.  Clarke,  later  one 
of  the  presbyters  attending  Bishop  Huntington  at  his 
consecration,  sent  him  a  long  and  confidential  com- 
munication. 

After  expressing  his  own  satisfaction  and  that  of 
his  parishioners  at  the  choice  of  their  spiritual  over- 
seer, he  says :  "  I  well  remember  my  own  delight  when 
I  first  saw  that  the  former  well-known  Chaplain  of 
Harvard  College  had  been  confirmed  in  the  American 
Catholic  Church.  A  member  of  my  parish  here  gave 
me  the  two  published  volumes  of  your  sermons,  and  I 
have  made  use  of  them  and  of  the  *  Rock  of  Ages  '  in 
winning  to  the  faith,  and  confirming  in  it,  those  who 
have  been  under  alien  influences. 

"  If  you  come  to  reside  in  Syracuse,  as  I  trust  you 
will,  you  will  find  the  atmosphere  here,  I  think,  not  so 
very  different  from  that  of  Boston.  We  are  the  head- 
quarters of  the  isms  for  Western  New  York.  Our  city 
being  about  the  geographical  centre  of  the  state  as 
well  as  the  diocese,  progressives,  generally,  as  well  as 


282  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

the  politicians,  hold  their  conventions  here ;  and  there  is 
sufficient  of  each  of  the  elements  to  welcome  them  and 
make  them  feel  at  home.  In  the  midst  of  all,  the  great 
Conservative  power  here,  as  elsewhere,  is  the  Church. 
St.  Paul's  parish  has  four  hundred  communicants;  my 
own,  which,  as  well  as  Trinity,  is  a  free  church  parish, 
started  in  1848,  has  three  hundred. 

"The  Church  is  growing  very  rapidly,  and  we  are 
looking  forward  to  doing  much  work  in  city  missions, 
in  parish  schools,  and  in  charitable  institutions,  in 
which  it  will  be  the  greatest  possible  help  if  we  can 
have  the  bishop's  residence  and  influence  here.  Syra- 
cuse, too,  is  finely  fitted  to  be  a  centre  of  influence  in 
evangelizing  the  region  around  it.  The  Church  has 
suffered  much  in  Central  New  York  by  the  emigration 
westward.  There  are  many  feeble  parishes,  and  many 
more  stations  where  there  are  a  few  scattered  sheep 
that  ought  to  be  looked  up  by  some  '  Evangelist '  of 
Christ." 

From  St.  Paul's  rectory,  April  23,  1869,  Bishop 
Huntington  wrote  to  his  family  in  Boston :  — 

"  It  is  six  o'clock  and  the  full  sunlight  is  pouring  in 
at  the  doors  of  the  study  of  Mr.  Hills  where  I  am  writ- 
ing. Hitherto  the  Lord  hath  helped  me.  With  many 
hours  of  depression  and  great  bodily  weariness,  I  get 
through  each  day  without  sinking  down.  Monday  I 
came  here  and  held  service,  and  confirmed  at  Trinity 
in  the  evening.  With  a  very  short  night  I  started  off 
Tuesday  morning  for  Oswego,  so  as  to  breakfast  with 
Dr.  Beach.  This  was  my  hardest  day.  It  was  oppres- 
sively hot,  and  all  the  courage  and  strength  in  me 
seemed  to  be  gone.  At  the  forenoon  service,  though  the 
Church  was  full,  I  could  not  rouse  myself  to  any 


ENTRANCE    ON   THE    EPISCOPATE        283 

interest  or  vigor;  the  words  seemed  to  fall  flat.  A 
despairing  conviction  took  hold  of  me,  which  I  have 
felt  before,  that  all  my  sermons  would  be  useless  to 
me,  and  that  I  could  never  meet  the  expectations  of 
the  people  in  the  preaching  part  of  my  work.  Through 
most  of  the  day  the  agony  was  fearful.  After  dinner 
the  people  began  to  pour  into  the  house  to  see  me. 
Two  or  three  times  I  went  upstairs  utterly  exhausted; 
but  each  time  some  important  body  or  other  called 
and  must  be  seen.  About  six  o'clock  a  pouring  shower 
came  up  from  the  lake,  and  I  went  to  my  room  and  fell 
into  a  deep  sleep  for  half  an  hour.  In  the  evening  I  got 
through  better,  confirming  fifty-two  at  the  Church  of 
the  Evangelists. 

"  The  Oswego  people  talked  a  great  deal  about  the 
Fishers,^  and  were  as  kind  as  possible.  Next  morning 
I  came  back  to  Syracuse.  The  evening  service  at  St. 
Paul's  went  off  finely,  so  did  that  of  the  Convocation 
yesterday.  It  looks  oddly  to  see  a  church  full  of  men  and 
women  in  the  middle  of  a  week-day  forenoon.  It  makes 
me  realize  the  greatness  and  solemnity  of  my  position 
and  responsibility.  I  can  hardly  describe  my  feelings 
as  I  stand  surrounded  by  twenty  or  thirty  of  the  Clergy 
all  looking  to  me  for  direction  in  every  particular.  It  is 
impossible  for  me  to  doubt  that  they  are  really  and 
heartily  satisfied  with  their  Bishop.  You  will  not  sup- 
pose that  I  am  elated  or  carried  away  by  the  demon- 
strations; on  the  contrary,  I  am  often  sad  and  bitterly 
self-distrustful  in  the  midst  of  them.  But  you  may  find 
a  momentary  gratification  in  knowing  the  fact  that  a 
more  cordial  and  general  expression  of  personal  satis- 

^  Bishop  Huntington's  eldest  sister,  Eizabeth,  married  George 
Fisher,  of  Oswego,  which  was  their  residence  for  many  years. 


284  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

faction  and  favor  could  hardly  be  conceived  than  I 
meet  every^^^here,  in  churches,  dwelling-houses,  streets, 
cars,  and  newspapers.  The  whole  people  take  pride  in 
doing  me  honor.  You  would  be  amused  at  some  of 
the  forms  that  their  pleasure  assumes.  One  Auburn 
man  objected  to  my  calling  on  Secretary  Seward  before 
he  called  on  me,  for,  says  he,  '  The  Bishop  's  smarter 
than  Seward  any  day.'  The  business  men  say  the 
Bishop  is  practical,  and  the  women  have  various  ways 
of  making  it  appear  that  they  like  his  looks,  and  the 
little  girls  take  hold  of  his  hands  and  say  that  they 
are  glad  he  is  going  to  live  where  they  can  see  him  in 
the  street.  The  old  church  people  pay  him  their  best 
compHment  when  they  say  his  ways  and  manners 
remind  them  of  Bishop  De  Lancey,  and  the  old  Demo- 
crats when  they  observe  that  he  looks  Hke  Governor 
Seymour.  How  thankful  I  shall  be  if  God  grants  me 
the  blessing  of  reunion  to  you  all,  dear  wife  and  chil- 
dren. It  is  but  a  dreary  business  without  you;  and  as 
to  hurry  and  labor,  I  have  never,  in  all  my  busiest  and 
hardest  Lent  work  of  the  parish,  seen  anything  so 
fatiguing.  But  I  have  had  no  headache  at  all.  I  gener- 
ally sleep  until  five  or  six  o'clock,  and  the  last  two  days 
have  been  fresher  than  before." 

To  his  youngest  son,  Jamie,  he  wrote :  "  You  would 
have  been  impressed  very  deeply  to  see  the  Onondagas 
come  up  to  the  chancel  yesterday.  There  were  thirteen 
of  them,  mostly  men,  but  some  women  with  red  and 
green  shawls  over  their  heads,  some  old  and  some 
young,  but  all  with  the  sad,  solemn  look  and  movement 
characteristic  of  their  doomed  race.  There  were  some 
magnificent  figures  and  gray  heads  among  them. 
They  all  sat  near  the  door,  waited  till  the  rest  of  the 


ENTRANCE    ON   THE    EPISCOPATE        285 

congregation  had  partaken,  and  then  in  single  file 
('  Indian  file,'  we  used  to  say)  they  moved  up  the  aisle 
and  knelt  down  to  receive  the  sacrament.  The  Saviour 
died  for  them  as  much  as  for  us.  The  Church  only 
honors  Him  and  herself  in  welcoming  them.  I  have 
hardly  ever  felt  more  moved  than  at  this  touching  sight. 
A  kind  of  awe  seemed  to  fall  upon  all  our  hearts,  and 
there  was  a  silence  that  could  be  felt.  They  remained 
after  the  service,  and  I  shook  hands  with  each  one. 
They  looked  intently  at  me  with  their  piercing  eyes, 
but  said  Httle.  They  have  a  name  for  me,  I  am  told, 
and  shall  try  to  find  it  out.^ 

*'  You  will  find  beautiful  walks  around  the  city  hil- 
locks. The  street  that  bears  your  name  is  one  of  the 
handsomest  I  have  seen  anywhere.  Dr.  Wilbur  has 
brought  me  some  beautiful  hepaticas." 

Skaneateles,  June  18,  '69. 
To  THE  Same. 

My  dear  Boy :  —  You  will  remember  this  as  the  place 
of  beauty,  lying  seventeen  miles  southwest  of  Syra- 
cuse, which  we  were  to  have  for  our  rural  retirement, 
and  to  which  you  were  sometimes  to  walk  of  a  Satur- 
day "^  Well,  I  drove  over  the  road  yesterday  with  a  fine 
pair  of  sorrel  horses  fresh  from  the  stable,  and  a  light 
open  barouche,  having  for  companions  a  former 
Governor  who  lives  here,  and  two  doctors  of  divinity 
(Clarke  of  Syracuse  and  Wilson  of  the  Cornell  Univer- 
sity), and  a  splendid  ride  it  was,  along  noble  slopes, 
covered  with  thriving  farms.    But,  although  you  have 

^  This  note  was  left  among  Bishop  Huntington's  papers  :  "  Your 
Onondaga  name  is  Ka-hen-do-wah-nen.  A  very  large  field,  with  an 
indirect  reference  to  the  harvest." 

"  W.  M.  Beauchamp." 


286  FREDERIC   DAN   HUNTINGTON 

got  a  pretty  good  pair  of  legs  and  know  how  to  use 
them,  I  think  you  would  find  them  a  httle  tired  at  the 
end  of  the  walk.  The  Village  nestles  in  a  Valley,  on  a 
hillside,  at  the  end  of  the  lovely  lake,  —  tho'  the  whole 
region  is  high  and  open  to  the  light.  As  we  drove  in  just 
before  sunset  nothing  could  be  more  perfect  in  ap- 
pearance. The  centre  of  the  lake,  surrounded  by 
graceful  shores,  partly  wooded  and  partly  dotted  with 
settlements,  was  still,  and  reflected  the  sunlight  in 
many  brilliant  and  more  delicate  colors.  The  little 
boats  lay  on  the  water,  with  their  sharp  outhnes,  and 
here  and  there  a  man  was  pulling  across  with  his  oars. 
Then  as  we  walked  home  from  the  little  Church  down 
by  the  water-side,  at  ten  o'clock,  after  a  very  animating 
service,  the  moon  was  bright,  and  we  had  a  scene  of 
another  kind,  but  equally  picturesque. 

I  wish  you  could  have  been  at  the  Convention,  the 
proceedings  were  so  orderly,  the  worship  so  grand, 
the  services  so  earnest  and  ever}i;hing  so  satisfactory. 
Wednesday  evening  there  was  a  superb  reception 
given  in  the  Bishop's  name  at  the  residence  of  Roscoe 
Conkling,  Esq.,  U.  S.  Senator,  where  I  stayed.  In  all 
my  ways  thus  far,  going  and  coming,  and  prosecuting 
my  sacred  work,  I  have  been  greatly  prospered  and 
happy,  as  you  have  prayed  that  I  might  be. 

Friday  next,  I  hope  to  see  the  dear  old  home,  and  to 
rest  about  ten  days.  On  Monday,  July  5th.,  I  shall  have 
to  start  again  and  go  Westward. 

God  bless  and  keep  and  comfort  and  strengthen  you 
for  every  duty.  Give  my  love  to  all  in  the  house.  Ever 
most  affectionately. 

Your  father, 

F.  D.  H. 


ENTRANCE    ON   THE    EPISCOPATE        287 

The  greater  part  of  the  first  summer  was  passed  by 
the  new  Bishop  in  his  diocese,  with  occasional  short 
vacations  at  the  farm  in  Hadley.  In  September  he  took 
his  family  to  Syracuse  to  a  home  purchased  for  their 
use  by  some  prominent  churchmen  of  that  city,  under 
the  lead  of  the  Hon.  George  F.  Comstock,  who  from 
the  first  urged  upon  Bishop  Huntington  this  choice 
for  his  headquarters. 

Hadley,  Sept.  29,  1869. 
To  A.  J.  P. 

Right  glad  you  made  me  by  your  pleasant  words 
from  Shelburne.  I  should  have  been  sorry  to  turn 
away  Westward  without  something  coming  from  you. 
This  setting  our  faces  away  from  Boston,  instead  of 
towards  it,  this  particular  season  when  all  the  associa- 
tions are  connected  with  a  return  to  the  familiar  scenes 
of  labor  and  fellowship,  makes  the  change  in  our  life 
more  a  reality,  perhaps,  than  it  has  been  before. 

But  we  have  no  misgivings,  I  believe,  about  the 
Divine  call  and  the  duty;  and  that  makes  hard  things 
easier.  All  my  life  has  been  so  abundant  in  blessing 
and  in  the  fulfillment  of  my  plans  and  desires  that  it 
would  be  mean  and  ungrateful  in  me  to  take  up  my 
staff  with  complaining.  I  like  the  work  of  my  office, 
and  it  seems  to  me  it  may  favor  the  growth  of  the  many 
neglected  graces  in  my  character.  There  seems  to  be 
less  temptation  than  before  to  put  self  uppermost :  and 
that  is  certainly  one  of  our  commonest  and  greatest 
dangers. 

It  seems  as  if  I  were  writing  to  all  of  you. 

It  will  be  a  great  relief  to  hear  that  there  is  a  Rector 
at "  Emmanuel."  The  "  Good  Shepherd  "  must  depend 


288  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

much  on   that.      We  can  keep  saying,  "The   Lord 
reign  eth." 

There  seems  to  be  no  time  for  a  league  meeting  that 
I  can  attend  at  present.^ 

Christ  love  you  and  keep  you  always. 

Faithfully  and  affectionately, 

F.  D.  H. 

A  few  months  later  Bishop  Huntington  wrote  to  an- 
other of  these  personal  friends  at  Emmanuel  Church, 
making  his  first  appeal  outside  the  diocese  for  aid  in 
the  work  among  the  Indian  people  of  his  own  jurisdic- 
tion. Speaking  of  the  Onondagas  he  says :  "  They  have 
hardly  waited  for  us  to  seek  after  them:  they  have 
come  seeking  us,  — asking  for  our  instruction,  our 
worship,  our  faith,  our  blessing.  They  are  ready  to 
receive  the  Gospel  at  our  hands.  They  want,  they  say, 
the  '  Old  Church '  that  Bishop  Hobart  offered  them. 
One  of  the  Chiefs  said  to  me  to-day  in  my  study :  '  Now 
that  you  have  come  to  live  so  near  us  we  feel  strong: 
we  believe  you  will  take  care  of  us.'  I  must  try  to  do 
it. 

"  Our  Missions  are  extending  so  rapidly  that  all  the 
funds  of  the  Board  are  in  demand  for  the  regular  Ms- 
sionary  operations.  I  beheve  that  some  of  my  dear 
parishioners  of  the  former  days  will  be  glad  to  send 
me  something  for  this  most  interesting  and  touching 
charity.    May  God  bless  all  the  givers." 

From  the  response  that  came  from  this  effort  on  the 
part  of  women  who  undertook  it,  the  church  building 

^  The  Dakota  League,  started,  and  carried  on  at  first  largely,  by 
a  band  of  women  at  Emmanuel  Church,  a  number  of  whom  were 
together  at  Shelburne,  N.  H.,  when  this  letter  was  written. 


ENTRANCE   ON   THE   EPISCOPATE        289 

on  the  Reservation  was  repaired,  a  chancel  made,  and 
a  bell  hung  in  the  belfry  to  summon  the  flock  to  wor- 
ship. 

The  house  on  James  Street  was  large  and  attractive, 
shaded  by  beautiful  trees  and  situated  in  a  delightful 
neighborhood.  The  only  children  now  left  at  home 
were  the  daughters,  a  third  having  been  born  in  Bos- 
ton. The  elder  son  remained  at  Maiden,  Massachu- 
setts, where  in  1874,  he  married  Lilly  St.  Agnan  Bar- 
rett, continuing  in  charge  of  St.  Paul's  Parish,  a  post 
of  steady  and  arduous  labor,  for  sixteen  years.  His 
brother  was  absent  from  the  family  circle  at  school 
and  college  until  1876,  when  he  returned  to  Syracuse, 
prepared  for  sacred  Orders  at  St.  Andrew's  Divinity 
School,  and  took  charge  of  Calvary  Mission.  Much  of 
the  correspondence  which  has  been  preserved  is  from 
the  Bishop  to  his  sons,  usually  hasty  epistles  written 
in  the  brief  periods  between  constant  journeys,  but 
giving  glimpses  of  the  interests  which  filled  his  Ufe  and 
the  strong  ties  of  home  and  family. 

In  a  birthday  letter  to  one  of  his  daughters,  in  1870, 
he  says:  "About  the  time  this  reaches  you,  you  will 
be  passing  another  milestone.  It  adds  to  my  home- 
sickness to  be  absent  from  the  circle  at  the  Feast.  An- 
other year  I  don't  believe  we  shall  want  to  repeat  the 
experience  of  this ;  and  yet  after  all,  I  shall  have  to  be 
away  from  the  family  just  so  much.  As  we  go  on,  we 
all  feel  more  and  more,  I  suppose,  that  the  great  ob- 
jects life  is  given  for  are  few  and  simple;  and  that 
they  lie  largely  outside  of  ourselves.  The  family,  home- 
affection,  constantly  becomes,  with  me,  a  larger  and 
larger  share  of  the  whole  interest  and  comfort  of  ex- 
istence." 


290  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

Syracuse,  Jan.  1,  1870. 
To  Miss  Bethia  Huntington. 

My  dear  Sister :  —  That  date  I  write  for  the  first  time 
to  you.  It  is  before  breakfast,  and  for  a  wonder  the  sky- 
looks  as  if  the  sun  might  smile  upon  us.  I  hope  and 
pray  that  with  the  New  Year  much  gentle  and  com- 
forting light  may  shine  upon  you,  —  upon  your  heart, 
your  home,  your  daily  life,  your  inward  communion 
with  God.  The  years  come  and  go;  but  not  so  our  love 
for  each  other,  which  is  independent  of  the  changes  of 
time;  not  so  either  our  faith  in  Christ  and  His  mercy 
to  us,  —  which  are  above  all  accident  and  decay.  He 
is  the  same,  yesterday,  to-day,  and  forever,  —  what- 
ever else  fluctuates.  In  the  Church  we  commemorate 
to-day  the  beginning  of  his  suffering  in  the  flesh  and 
his  obedience  to  the  law,  but  He  may  be  in  all  things 
an  example  to  us,  even  in  subjection  to  outward  ordi- 
nances. It  is  very  impressive  that  the  Lord  of  glory 
should  so  respect  and  obey  the  regulations  of  a  religious 
economy  which  is  adapted  to  human  necessities  and 
mortal  infirmities.  How  thoroughly  and  entirely  He 
took  our  nature  upon  him ! 

You  don't  know  how  much  I  enjoyed  my  visit  with 
you.  It  would  do  me  good,  I  believe,  if  I  should  so  spend 
a  day  or  two  every  month.  It  was  a  real  rest,  and  a 
delightful  communion.  We  all  unite  in  messages  of  love 
and  hearty  greeting. 

Ever  affectionately  and  faithfully  yours, 

F.  D.  H. 

The  first  season  brought  its  taste  of  inclement 
weather,  traveling  across  country  in  the  days  when 
railroad  communication  was  limited. 


ENTRANCE    ON   THE   EPISCOPATE        291 

Syracuse,  March  10,  1870. 
Back  again,  by  a  ride  in  a  driving  storm  through 
eighteen  miles  of  snow-drifts,  in  an  open  sleigh,  four 
horses,  from  Central  Square,  —  so  called,  from  being 
the  centre  of  nothing,  but  just  beyond  "  Cicero  "  and 
"Clay." 

Twelve  months  after  his  consecration  to  the  Epis- 
copate Bishop  Huntington  wrote:  — 

Syracuse,  April  8,  '70. 

Dear  George: — This  is  an  anniversary  of  search- 
ing thoughts,  and,  I  am  sure,  of  sincere  gratitude.  I 
feel  as  if  I  had  only  yet  made  a  few  scratches  on  the 
surface  of  the  ground.  But  there  has  been  no  disaster, 
no  grave  disappointments  or  discord,  I  believe. 

In  our  home,  how  many  blessings  we  have  seen ! 

BiNGHAMTON,  Monday  morning. 

(May,  1870.) 

To  Mrs.  Huntington. 

Saturday  I  was  as  homesick  as  a  schoolboy  after 
his  first  vacation.  How  can  I  ever  get  the  better  of  it  ? 
Bright  weather  always  makes  it  worse.  Close  work  and 
the  remembrance  of  God's  goodness  and  of  duty  to 
Him  are,  I  believe,  the  best  remedies.  Yesterday  we 
laid  the  corner-stone  of  the  House  of  the  Good  Shep- 
herd, under  the  bright  sun ;  a  long  file  of  S.  S.  children 
escorted  the  procession  and  cast  bunches  of  flowers 
upon  the  stone  after  it  was  laid,  moving  in  a  circle,  and 
covering  the  spot  with  a  floral  crown.  Hymns  and 
chants,  Glorias,  prayers  and  addresses,  filled  up  an 
hour.  Of  course  Mrs.  Wright  was  very  happy.  The 
Mission  is  conducted  by  a  League,  and  as  usual  the 


292  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

work  outward  is  blessing  and  strengthening  everything 
within.  To-day  I  move  Westward  to  two  Missionary 
stations.  Would  it  not  be  nice  if  I  were  with  you  all 
to-day  ?  Jim  is  starting  off  for  Manlius,  I  suppose,  and 
the  two  darling  girls  for  school.  The  Lord  bless  and 
keep  you. 

Ever  faithfully  and  lovingly, 

Your  husband, 

F.  D.  H. 
Tell  Pattison  the  hat  was  polished  up  in  the  nick  of 
time,  as  it  was  forced  to  come  under  the  eyes  of  the 
multitude  yesterday. 

The  P.  S.  message,  to  a  devoted  presbyter  and  inti- 
mate family  friend,  indicates  a  characteristic  of  Bishop 
Huntington,  whose  disregard  of  externals  sometimes 
laid  a  burden  upon  his  household.  His  easy  habit  of 
preferring  old  clothes  to  new  became  apparent  as  he 
went  his  rounds,  but  such  unconventionaHty  was  unex- 
pected in  a  newly-made  prelate. 

The  wife  of  a  distinguished  citizen,  herself  as  un- 
worldly as  she  was  preeminently  gifted,  used  to  tell  a 
story  of  her  first  impression  of  their  new  neighbor. 
They  were  driving  past  as  he  left  his  ot\ti  door,  and 
when  her  husband  told  her  who  it  was,  Mrs.  S.  ex- 
claimed: "Why,  Charles,  he  wears  as  shabby  a  coat 
as  you  do!" 

It  was  not  in  dress  alone,  however,  that  he  preserved 
a  simplicity  of  life,  which  grew  upon  him,  rather  than 
diminished,  as  age  and  honors  increased.  He  always 
insisted  upon  carr\ang  his  own  traveling-case,  heavy 
though  it  might  be,  and  for  many  years  walked  with  it 
in  his  hand  to  and  from  the  station,  or  jumped  off  the 


ENTRANCE    ON    THE    EPISCOPATE        293 

moving  train  as  it  passed  near  the  house.  He  planned 
his  journeys,  went  and  came,  expecting  nowhere  defer- 
ence or  distinction.  The  habits  of  early  rising  in  order 
to  get  the  work  of  correspondence  off  his  hands 
promptly,  of  moving  rapidly  from  one  point  to  another, 
and  of  reading  and  writing  during  the  hours  of  travel; 
his  hardihood  in  driving  long  distances  through  any 
weather  to  avoid  delay,  —  all  these  contributed  to  the 
accomplishment  of  a  multitude  of  affairs. 

In  business  matters  he  was  clear  and  methodical, 
without  giving  much  concern  to  the  acquisition  or  the 
expenditure  of  money.  In  his  Boston  parish  the  salary 
barely  met  the  expenses  of  city  life  and  the  education 
of  his  children.  As  a  bishop  his  income  was  still  less, 
and  there  were  many  demands  upon  it.  While  he  never 
desired  riches  for  himself  or  his  family,  he  used  to  say 
that  he  sometimes  occupied  his  wakeful  hours  at  night 
planning  how  he  could  dispose  of  large  sums  for  the 
objects  in  which  he  was  interested.  These  were  visions 
which,  in  spite  of  kind  assistance  in  the  diocese  and 
without,  were  never  reahzed.  Faith  and  courage  on  his 
part  were  not  wanting  when  a  definite  thing  must  be 
accompHshed,  but  it  may  be  that  the  fact  of  his  never 
obtaining  large  use  of  wealth  from  its  stewards,  is  ac- 
counted for  by  an  ingrain  Puritan  austerity,  which  is 
not  the  temperament  for  the  attainment  of  material 
ends. 

Syracuse,  May  25,  1870. 

Dear  George  :  —  It  is  good  to  get  back  from  a  long 

and  tiresome  visitation  into  this  quiet,  shaded,  resting 

home,  —  for  a  few  days.    I  had  nearly  three  services 

a  day,  for  nine  days.  Your  mother  met  me  at  Norwich, 


294  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

and  saw  the  valley  of  the  Chenango,  and  the  gem  of 
it,  Oxford,  with  its  beautiful  stone  church,  ivy-covered ; 
its  elms,  laTVTis,  lovely  Rectory  and  accomplished  Rec- 
tor. 

Next  week  I  must  write  my  address  for  Convention. 
We  have  just  closed  our  semi-annual  meeting  of  the 
Board  of  Missions,  showing  vigorous  work  in  all  direc- 
tions, and  nearly  $3000  in  the  Treasury.  We  prize 
your  brief  notes,  not  for  their  brevity,  and  keep  near 
you  in  your  Parish  work  from  day  to  day.  Hoping  to 
see  you  the  last  week  in  June, 

Ever  faithfully  and  affectionately, 

Your  father, 

F.  D.  H. 

Syil\cuse,  May  28,  '70. 

My  dear  Sister  :  —  You  see  by  the  date  that  I 
have  come  to  another  of  the  way-marks.  One  hardly 
knows  whether  to  make  a  birthday  a  Feast  or  a  Fast. 
If  we  think  only  of  God's  mercies,  —  of  health  and 
home  and  friendship,  of  prosperous  undertakings,  of 
faith  and  hope  and  the  privileges  of  the  Church,  —  it 
should  be  a  Festival.  But  the  remembrance  of  our  own 
failures  and  faults  puts  upon  it  somehow  something  of 
the  character  of  humiliation. 

I  wish  you  could  see  the  beauty  of  this  spot ;  every- 
thing is  so  fresh  and  bright;  the  foliage  is  so  abundant 
and  the  whole  street  and  scene  are  so  rural,  —  so  un- 
like a  city. 

You  are  in  the  beloved  old  home.  How  perfect  it 
must  be !  We  think  and  speak  of  you  every  day,  I  be- 
lieve. The  work  I  came  here  to  do  seems  to  be  going 
forward  prosperously;   and  yet  the  progress  of  sin,  of 


ENTRANCE    ON    THE    EPISCOPATE        295 

all  sorts,  especially  in  the  great  cities,  is  fearful.  We 
might  all  despair,  but  for  Him  who  sitteth  above  the 
floods. 

At  the  end  of  that  summer,  after  a  rest  at  the  farm, 
a  few  lines  in  pencil,  written  to  his  sister  on  the  journey 
back  to  Syracuse,  express  the  inevitable  sense  of  sepa- 
ration from  much  that  was  left  behind. 

Delavan  House, 
Albany,  Oct.  7,  '70. 

Our  visit  in  Boston  has  given  us  the  sight  of  many 
dear  faces,  and  made  us  feel  afresh  that  we  are  not 
wholly  forgotten  there.  Indeed  it  is  doubtful  whether 
in  any  new  place  friendships  quite  so  deep  and  warm 
can  ever  be  formed  as  those  in  Massachusetts.  I  feel 
it  more  than  before.  Abundance  of  good-will,  kindness, 
courtesy,  respect,  consideration,  we  have  in  the  home 
we  have  lately  made :  and  if  we  do  not  forfeit  them  by 
some  fault  of  our  own  we  may  reasonably  expect  they 
may  be  continued  to  us.  It  is  true,  nevertheless,  roots 
are  not  easily  struck  after  fifty  years  of  age.  We  are 
content  and  thankful.  It  is  plain  that  my  work  is  in 
my  Diocese  and  not  in  Boston.  The  sense  of  being 
engaged  in  the  Master's  service,  and  in  this  way,  is 
enough.  Syracuse  is  much  more  natural  and  attractive 
than  it  was  a  year  ago.  And  there  has  been  much  of 
Hadley  and  Boston  we  have  been  permitted  to  keep. 

Hadley,  Sunday  evening, 

Sept.  11th.,  '70. 

To  M.  M. 

My  dear  Friend:  —  We  have  thought  and  spoken  of 
you  several  times  to-day,  feeling  your   absence.    By 


296  FREDERIC    DAN   HUNTINGTON 

God's  great  goodness,  after  meeting  a  great  many  per- 
sons of  my  Diocese  within  the  week  at  Syracuse,  visit- 
ing schools  and  flocks,  setting  some  wheels  in  motion, 
and  finding  the  outlook  generally  rather  encouraging, 
I  got  back  in  time  to  help  make  ready  for  the  nuptials 
and  to  greet  the  arriving  guests.  ^ 

This  morning  the  air  was  almost  supernaturally  glori- 
ous, and  so  it  has  continued.  Fair  weather  came  out 
of  the  North,  with  an  atmosphere  of  a  blue  so  deep,  a 
transparency  so  rare,  a  splendor  so  surpassing,  that  the 
Sunday  seemed  as  much  of  the  New  Jerusalem  as  of 
the  earthly  expectation.  As  I  sat  reading,  just  before 
church-time,  a  messenger  from  Amherst  rode  up  to  say 
there  was  no  preacher  there.  Of  course  I  stood  in,  and 
the  First  liCsson  and  the  Epistle  suited  the  sermon  on 
the  Water  out  of  the  Rock.  At  four  o'clock  we  had  our 
Evening  Prayer,  and  I  read  a  sermon  of  Liddon's. 
Then  we  strolled  out:  H.  and  A.  and  the  little  girls, 
Ponto  and  the  cat;  all  that  are  left  here  except  my 
saintly  sister.  Over  all  the  landscape  —  valley  and 
hill — the  sharp  light  ghmmered  and  blazed;  and  the 
noble  shadows  had  their  edges  cut  as  with  the  finest 
chisel;  and  just  the  faintest  tinge  of  Autumn  lent  pa- 
thos to  this  stately  Sabbatic  pomp.  We  went  to  the 
barns;  then  down  into  the  meadow  towards  the  river; 
then  out  south  of  the  buildings  to  get  a  full,  long  view 
of  Holyoke,  shifting  its  shade  every  moment  as  the  sun 
sank  lower;  — and  here  the  bell  sounded  out,  and  never 
more  musically ; — then  across  the  sheep-yard  among 
the  apple-trees,  firs  and  maples;  then  to  the  stump  of 
the  grand  old  elm  that  used  to  mark  the  bounds  of  our 
estate ;  then  across  the  road,  down  the  maple  avenue, 
^  The  wedding  of  a  niece,  in  the  old  homestead. 


ENTRANCE    ON   THE    EPISCOPATE        297 

into  the  pastures;  and  home  again,  grateful  and  con- 
tent. 

Syracuse,  Feb.  4,  1871. 

My  dear  Sister  :  —  I  have  been  sitting  by  the  fire 
and  thinking  of  this  date  and  what  it  brings  to  mind. 
A  jrreat  deal  can  be  remembered :  —  but  how  Httle  in 
my  life  now  could  have  been  foreseen  when  mother 
died.  Next  after  what  our  parents  were  to  us,  among 
the  family  blessings,  I  am  thankful  that  the  homestead 
remains,  and  that  you  and  Theodore  are  so  near  to  it 
as  to  be  identified  with  it. 

The  winter  wears  away  rapidly.  My  visits  to  Phila- 
delphia and  New  York,  —  where  I  went  to  preach,  and 
to  attend  a  council,  — took  me  through  great  storms. 
These  absences  make  the  intervals  at  home  very  pre- 
cious. There  is  a  good  deal  of  meaning  in  that  little 
phrase,  "They  shall  go  no  more  out."  Let  us  know 
how  all  is  going  with  you.  Wishing  you  peace  and 
comfort, 

Yours  affectionately, 

F.  D.  H. 

Rev.  George  Huntington  was  much  engaged  in  ob- 
taining the  means  for  the  erection  of  a  building  for  St. 
Paul's  Church,  Maiden,  and  his  father,  who  heartily 
aided  in  the  undertaking,  wrote  to  him  concerning  the 
subscriptions,  a  large  part  of  which  came  from  his  own 
old  parish  of  Emmanuel. 

Feb.  18,  1871. 
Dear  George  :  —  We  were  all  much  excited  by  the 
news  of  the  $1000.    It  certainly  comes  as  an  answer  to 


298  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

many  prayers,  from  Him  who  turns  the  hearts  of  men. 
Your  want  has  scarcely  been  out  of  my  mind  half  a  day 
since  you  were  here.  Let  thanks  be  given  to  God! 
Ought  you  not  to  proceed  at  once  to  complete  the  sub- 
scription ^    Will  not  this  gift  stimulate  others  ? 

I  send  two  pamphlets  that  may  interest  you.  Prof. 
Lewis's  observations  on  the  traces  of  an  original  primi- 
tive monotheism  in  Homer,  especially  in  the  Homeric 
titles  of  Zeus  as  compared  with  the  Scriptural  praises 
of  Jehovah,  are  very  interesting.  They  bear  on  the 
great  question  whether  the  world's  civilization  is  a  pro- 
gress ah  initio,  or  the  recovery  from  a  lapse ;  —  two 
philosophies. 

We  have  had  a  branch  of  the  Perfectionist  agitation 
here.  Brother  S.  thought  of  staying  to  preach  on  Sun- 
day, but  proved  amenable  to  gentle  advice,  and  find- 
ing he  must  use  the  Prayer-book  and  get  leave  of  the 
Rectors,  amiably  went  home.  Their  mistake  is  not  so 
much  heresy  as  sentimental  dis  pro  portioning  of  the 
Truth. 

To-morrow  I  go  to  the  Indians  to  confirm.  Keep 
Moberly  for  Hadley.  I  am  reading  Vaughan's  sermons. 
They  are  the  best  yet,  —  better  than  Liddon's  or  Rob- 
ertson's as  sermons. 


Syracuse,  April  14,  1871. 
To  A.  L.  P. 

It  is  two  years  to-morrow  since  I  came  into  this  Dio- 
cese. When  you  intercede  for  me,  pray  that  the  years 
to  come  may  witness  in  me  increasing  devotion,  self- 
forgetfulness,  gentleness,  courage  and  efficiency  in 
serving  both  the  inward  and  outward  Kingdom  of  our 
Lord, — the  Crucified  and  the  Risen.    With  my  own 


ENTRANCE    ON   THE    EPISCOPATE        299 

supplications  are  mingled  "  humble  and  hearty  thanks." 
How  much  to  be  grateful  for,  so  much  open  oppor- 
tunity for  work :  good-will,  kindness,  a  diocese  harmo- 
nious and  united  to  a  degree,  I  suppose,  remarkable 
and  perhaps  unparalleled.  And  in  my  home  what 
countless  blessings! 

Syracuse,  May  28,  1871. 
My  dear  James  :  —  It  is  my  great  privilege  to  be 
at  home  on  my  birthday.  Your  mother  and  I  came  back 
yesterday,  after  a  week's  visitations  along  the  Southern 
line  of  the  Diocese,  in  cities  and  villages,  large  Parishes 
and  Mission -stations,  taking  us  up  Cayuga  Lake  and 
through  a  great  deal  of  beautiful  scenery  which  I  want 
you  and  George  to  see  some  time  with  us. 

To-day  the  Whitsunday  glory  has  been  complete. 
A  clear  still  splendor  has  covered  the  fresh  green  earth. 
This  morning  I  went  up  to  "Grace"  to  Communion 
and  preached.  I  never  had  a  happier  birthday,  I  be- 
lieve. Thank  you  for  your  remembrance.  Labuntur 
anni.  I  don't  know  that  I  should  prefix  the  Eheu  to  the 
fugaces. 

"  Swift  years,  but  teach  me  how  to  bear, 
To  feel,  and  act,  with  strength  and  skill, 
To  reason  wisely,  nobly  dare,  — 
And  speed  your  courses  as  ye  will." 

Our  times  are  in  the  Father's  hand.  His  goodness 
and  mercy  have  followed  me  all  the  days  of  my  life. 

As  to  examination,  —  take  it  easily.  Dismiss  anxiety. 
Even   mistakes, — mental   mistakes, — before  twenty 
years  can  be  made  up;  with  character  it  is  more  difficult. 
With  deep,  strong,  tender  love. 

Your  father  at  fifty-two, 

F.  D.  H. 


300  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

My  dear  George  :  —  Our  thoughts  are  much  with 
you  to-day  and  no  doubt  with  all  your  cares  and  occu- 
pations you  remember  us.  I  know  well  what  a  confir- 
mation-day is  to  a  Parish  Priest;  every  year  it  not 
only  tries  and  proves  him,  what  manner  of  man  he  is, 
—  and  searches  him  through  and  through,  —  but  it 
yields  him  also  generally  "the  joy  of  harvest."  Your 
Bishop  spoke  so  cordially  of  you  the  other  day  that,  in 
addition  to  deeper  satisfactions,  I  hope  you  will  find 
his  visit  agreeable  and  encouraging.  It  is  pleasant  to  a 
Bishop  to  receive,  as  he  leaves  a  Parish,  some  grate- 
ful word  from  the  Rector,  as  an  indication  that  he  has 
not  wholly  missed  the  mark  or  labored  in  vain. 

Your  mother  and  I  came  back  yesterday.  Her  com- 
pany was  a  great  comfort  to  me  all  the  way.  The  life  I 
lead  is  essentially  a  solitary  one.  Nobody  comes  very 
near  the  Bishop  —  however  many  may  love  and  care 
for  him  at  a  distance.  I  have  never  been  lonely  till 
within  the  last  two  years ;  —  it  is  good  for  me,  I  dare 
say,  —  and  it  is  about  the  only  drawback  on  a  most 
favored  and  blessed  lot. 

Bishop  Huntington  set  himself  in  the  beginning  of 
his  Episcopate  to  found  a  Church  boarding-school  for 
boys,  which  was  opened  in  Manlius  in  1869,  and  soon 
after  established  there  on  a  fine  property,  with  a  suit- 
able building  and  equipment,  largely  due  to  the  liber- 
ality of  Judge  Comstock.  This  institution  was,  for  the 
rest  of  the  Bishop's  life,  an  object  of  interest  and 
solicitude.  He  carried  for  a  long  time  the  burden  of 
its  finances,  and  took  a  responsibility  for  its  manage- 
ment. When  relieved  of  these  cares  he  continued  to 
give  it  his  spiritual  support  and  sympathy. 


ENTRANCE   ON   THE   EPISCOPATE        301 

Syracuse,  Oct.,  1871. 

Sunday  evening. 

To  Miss  Bethia  Huntington. 

To-day  I  have  been  to  visit  St.  John's  School,  at 
ManHus.  The  boys  seem  contented  and  happy,  and 
they  are  remarkably  reverential  in  Church.  What  a 
blessing  it  v^ould  be  to  our  land  and  the  world  if  that 
noble  and  beautiful  trait  of  character  were  more  com- 
mon. 

We  start  to-morrow  morning,  God  willing,  for  Rich- 
mond and  Norfolk.  My  thoughts  are  often  with  you* 
all  and  almost  everything  about  the  farm  is  remem- 
bered. It  is  all  safe  in  Theodore's  hands,  under  the 
Great  Guardian.  We  had  a  summer  full  of  blessings. 
One  of  the  chief  comforts  was  your  being  with  us  so 
much. 

My  address  will  be  House  of  Bishops,  Episcopal  Con- 
vention. 

The  Triennial  which  met  in  Baltimore  in  the  autumn 
of  1871,  was  the  first  in  which  Bishop  Huntington  took 
his  seat  in  the  Upper  House.  It  was  in  keeping  with 
the  reserve  and  self-distrust  of  his  nature  that  he  was 
occupied  solely  in  listening  and  observation,  and  did 
not  utter  himself  in  motion  or  debate.  It  is  said  that  at 
subsequent  Conventions  he  seldom  gave  expression  to 
his  opinions  as  a  speaker.^  There  was  much,  however, 
both  in  the  legislative  proceedings  and  in  the  mission- 
ary work,  in  which  he  took  the  keenest  interest,  and  he 
greatly  enjoyed  contact  with  men  of  wisdom  and  learn- 
ing. 

^  The  venerable  Bishop  R.  H.  Wilmer  of  Alabama  wrote  in  1892: 
"  Looking  back  on  several  General  Conventions  I  recall  vk^ith  ad- 
miration your  still  silence." 


302  FREDERIC    DAN   HUNTINGTON 

The  committee  work  which  he  most  enjoyed  was 
that  devoted  to  the  preparation  of  a  new  Hymnal ;  and 
the  final  adoption,  at  this  time,  of  a  collection  to  which 
he  gave  many  weeks  of  labor,  was  a  source  of  great  sat- 
isfaction. Although  later  superseded  by  the  one  now 
in  use,  the  Hymnal  of  1871  was  far  in  advance  of  the 
previous  one  and  was  received  with  favor. 

Events  in  the  Church  at  large  had  made  this  Con- 
vention one  of  anxious  anticipation  and  its  results  were 
a  cause  of  thanksgiving. 

Baltimore,  Oct.,  1871. 
The  harmony  of  the  Convention  in  both  Houses  is 
extraordinary.  Bishop  Whittingham  told  me  yesterday, 
as  I  was  dining  at  his  house,  that  after  an  experience 
of  fifty  years  he  has  never  seen  anything  hke  it,  the  mani- 
fest and  felt  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  answering  prayer, 
and  this  just  when  the  Church  was  thought  to  be  on  the 
edge  of  anarchy. 

Syracuse,  Nov.,  1871. 
My  dear  Sister:  —  On  this  day  of  preparation 
for  the  Feast,  when  the  guests  used  to  assemble  from 
different  quarters,  —  as  I  suppose  they  do  still  in  some 
New  England  homes,  —  our  thoughts,  at  least,  natu- 
rally draw  together.  How  distant  the  remembrance  is 
of  the  scenes  in  the  old  kitchen  forty  odd  years  ago,  — 
every  part  of  them,  in  all  their  details,  from  the  great 
blazing  oven  to  the  little  many-shaped  tin  pie-pans, 
when  the  favorite  pie  of  each  one  of  us  was  baked.  Rice 
pie  with  raisins  was  always  my  choice.  Mother's  figure 
moving  in  the  midst  of  all  the  busy  goings-on,  with  her 
remarkable  blending  in  face  and  manner,  of  energy 


ENTRANCE    ON    THE    EPISCOPATE        303 

and  thoughtfulness,  conscientious  care  and  tender  affec- 
tion, is  as  distinct  as  can  be.  I  have  a  particularly  clear 
recollection  of  helping  father,  one  such  Wednesday, 
clear  up  the  garden  and  front-yard,  making  ready  for 
a  tremendous  snowstorm,  combing  the  ground  with 
our  rakes,  he  said,  for  its  white  powdering.  We  shall 
think  of  you  with  love  and  prayers  to-morrow. 

I  have  just  finished  my  circuit  of  visitations  for  the 
season,  returning  yesterday.  It  is  a  relief  to  be  at  home, 
tho'  there  is  always  much  that  is  interesting  in  my  jour- 
neys amongst  the  Parishes. 

Syracuse,  Dec.  28,  1871. 

Dear  Bethia  :  —  May  the  Christmas  be  cheerful 
with  you  and  the  promise  of  "Peace  on  Earth"  be 
fulfilled  to  your  own  heart.  Frost  and  moon  promise  to 
make  it  sparkling  and  Christmas-like.  The  cold  is  in- 
tense and  the  snow  keeps  falling.  It  sometimes  falls 
here  in  such  clouds  as  we  never  see  in  New  England. 
Last  night  Hannah  and  I,  returning  from  an  Ordina- 
tion and  Consecration  some  fifty  miles  away,  were 
caught  in  a  snow-drift  in  the  morning.  We  had  a  Meth- 
odist minister  with  us,  who  sang  hymns,  and,  among 
others,  Mother's  old  "  When  marshaled  on  the  nightly 
plain."    It  almost  made  me  cry. 

I  am  very  much  engaged  on  the  "  Messenger,  "  hoop- 
ing to  issue  a  Church  paper  which  at  least  will  be  with- 
out personalities,  polemics,  or  partisanship,  and  will 
help  the  readers  to  be  better  Christians. 

"The  Gospel  Messenger,"  a  Church  weekly,  was 
originally  established  in  1827,  in  Auburn,  for  the  west- 
em  part  of  the  state,  *'in  the  interests  of  evangelical 


S04  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

piety  and  sound  religious  information."  At  the  time 
of  the  division  of  the  diocese  it  was  ably  conducted,  in 
Utica,  by  the  Rev.  William  T.  Gibson.  Circumstances 
led  to  a  formal  conveyance  to  Bishop  Huntington,  by 
Bishop  Coxe,  who  had  received  it  from  the  executors 
of  Bishop  De  Lancey,  and  the  editorship  and  office 
were  transferred  to  Syracuse,  in  January,  1892.  Subse- 
quently it  became  connected  with  the  "New  York 
Church  Journal."  In  1876  a  monthly  organ  of  the 
diocese  of  Central  New  York,  known  as  the  "  Gospel 
Messenger  and  Church  Journal,"  was  begun  in  Syra- 
cuse, and  remained,  excepting  for  a  short  period,  under 
the  Bishop's  sole  editorial  supervision  during  the  rest 
of  his  life. 

Amidst  the  many  duties  of  office,  with  editorial  work, 
special  sermons,  and  general  correspondence,  there  was 
leisure  found,  between  frequent  journeys,  for  a  task 
particularly  congenial,  the  preparation  of  a  devotional 
work,  "  Helps  to  a  Holy  Lent." 

The  introduction  points  out  that  "  each  daily  portion, 
including  something  of  Holy  Scripture,  meditation, 
hymn  and  prayers,  bears  an  analogy  to  our  liturgical 
appointments,  and  is  a  kind  of  faint  reflection  in  minia- 
ture of  the  order  of  Divine  ser\ice.  A  considerable  part 
of  the  pages  is  original.  Most  of  the  Collects  are  taken 
from  English  sources,  though  many  of  them  are  trace- 
able to  a  more  Eastern  origin."  Of  this  publication 
the  Author  wrote  to  his  son  at  Harvard  :  — 

Feb.  20,  1872. 

Two  copies  of  "  Helps  "  have  just  gone  off  for  you, — 
one  for  yourself,  and  the  other  to  give  away  as  you 
choose.    Mr.  Dutton  writes  that  he  has  great  difficulty 


ENTRANCE    ON   THE    EPISCOPATE        305 

in  filling  the  orders,  and  that  the  demand  in  Boston 
has  been  too  much  for  the  supply.  This  is  pleasant,  but 
it  won't  turn  our  heads,  —  if  we  mind  what  the  book 
teaches.  It  seems  remarkable  that  your  Church-fellows 
in  College  should  keep  up  a  service,  however  brief. 
God  grant  the  blessing  of  His  spirit  on  every  gathering ! 
With  that  and  the  Bible  lessons  of  Mr.  B.  you  will  have 
a  good  Lent. 

On  Monday  I  go  to  New  York  to  lecture  in  the  course 
on  "  Religion  and  Modern  Thought."  I  half  wish  it 
were  at  Cambridge  instead. 

In  the  following  summer  a  change  took  place  in  the 
diocese  of  Massachusetts,  through  the  decease  of  Rt. 
Rev.  Man  ton  Eastburn,  its  bishop  for  thirty  years.  The 
question  as  to  the  choice  of  a  successor  to  so  important 
a  position  was  a  matter  of  anxiety  to  the  clergy  and 
laity,  and  to  no  one  more  than  to  Bishop  Huntington, 
in  whose  affections  the  Church  in  New  England  held 
a  large  share. 

He  wrote  to  his  son,  the  rector  of  St.  Paul's,  Maiden, 
from  Hadley,  Sept.  29,  1872. 

"lean  make  no  better  use  of  a  part  of  this  sacred  day 
than  to  tell  you  why  I  should  rejoice  if  this  Diocese 
should  choose  Dr.  Paddock  to  be  its  Bishop.  It  is  be- 
cause, while  he  has  other  qualifications  in  a  satisfactory 
degree,  —  judgment,  wisdom,  experience,  patience, 
culture,  and  decision,  —  he  is  eminently  godly.  He  has 
the  spirit  and  the  aims,  the  tone  and  the  manners  be- 
fitting the  office.  He  would  win  confidence,  and  that 
would  go  far  to  reconcile  differences  and  strengthen 
the  Church." 

Of  two  clergymen  whose  names  were  mentioned  for 


306  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

the  sacred  office,  the  writer  says :  "  They  are  good  and 
true  Christian  gentlemen,  and  faithful  priests.  I  am, 
as  you  know,  attached  to  them  both.  But  they  are  both, 
not  in  the  worst  sense,  men  of  the  world. 

"  The  Kingdom  of  God  should  be  led  by  men  not  of 
the  world." 

Syracuse,  Oct.  1,  1872. 
To  HIS  Son  James. 

Here  we  are  at  the  post  of  service  again.  The  place 
looks  finely,  within  the  house  and  without.  We  found 
flowers  and  fruits  awaiting  us,  sent  by  kind  neighbors. 
The  children  seem  very  happy.  The  spasm  of  home- 
sickness, is,  I  suppose,  about  over  with  us  all ;  and  now 
we  will  all  put  our  shoulders  to  work  and  care  again, 
as  in  God's  sight,  and  for  the  honor  of  Christ. 

Oct.  18,  '72. 

It  is  late  and  I  am  tired  with  my  day's  work.  You 
know  I  have  taken  charge  of  St.  Paul's ;  but  the  Vestry 
have,  at  my  recommendation,  elected  Mr.  Lockwood, 
Rector,  —  one  of  our  best  and  ablest  and  most  schol- 
arly young  Clergymen. 

May  this  be  a  new  era  for  the  Church  in  Massachu- 
setts !  I  could  wish  that  Diocese  were  more  like  mine, 
which  is  doing  nobly. 

The  first  number  of  the  "  Gospel  Messenger  "  of  the 
diocese,  chronicles  two  events  of  interest :  one  was  the 
earliest  general  meeting  of  the  Woman's  Auxiliary  of 
the  Diocese,  held  in  Watertown  on  January  5,  1876; 
and  the  other  the  opening  of  a  building  erected  for  the 
House  of  the  Good  Shepherd,  Syracuse.  This  charity, 
which  was  Bishop  Huntington's  peculiar  charge  from 


ENTRANCE    ON   THE   EPISCOPATE       307 

its  inception,  started,  as  is  often  the  case,  from  what 
seemed  an  incident  of  no  great  importance.  In  the 
winter  of  1873  two  strangers,  Canadian  women,  were 
taken  with  illness,  and  found  refuge  at  St.  Joseph's, 
then  the  only  hospital  in  the  city  and  under  the  charge 
of  Roman  Catholic  Sisters.  Owing  partly,  perhaps,  to 
the  strength  of  religious  differences  in  the  community 
from  wliich  they  came,  they  felt  unhappy  and  lone- 
some among  those  not  of  their  own  household  of  faith. 
The  case  came  to  the  attention  of  the  Chief  Shepherd, 
who  in  the  care  of  his  flock  never  forgot  his  consecra- 
tion vow,  "to  be  gentle  and  merciful  for  Christ's  sake 
to  poor  and  needy  people,  and  to  all  strangers  desti- 
tute of  help."  It  emphasized  the  fact  that  the  Protes- 
tant Christians  of  Syracuse  had  made  no  provision 
for  their  own  people  who  desired  services  of  Divine 
consolation  in  time  of  sickness  and  absence  from  home. 
The  population  of  the  city  was  increasing  so  rapidly 
as  to  warrant  hospital  extension.  Bishop  Huntington 
laid  the  matter  before  the  congregation  of  St.  Paul's 
Church  on  a  Sunday  morning,  with  the  result  that  at 
the  close  of  the  sermon,  one  of  the  members  offered  the 
use  of  a  private  residence  for  three  months.  Here  the 
House  of  the  Good  Shepherd  was  opened,  with  such 
encouragement  that  larger  quarters  were  found,  and 
a  trained  nurse  placed  in  charge.  The  Church  Sister- 
hood, established  by  the  Bishop  to  unite  the  women  of 
the  several  parishes  in  active  work  for  the  sick  and  des- 
titute, assisted  materially  in  securing  furniture  and 
weekly  provision  for  the  new  institution. 

When  the  first  hospital  building  was  planned,  a  fine 
site  on  the  hill  near  the  University  was  presented  by 
Judge  Comstock;  and  means  for  its  completion  were 


308  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

obtained  by  the  Bishop,  as  he  describes  in  the  following 
letter. 

Hadley,  July  5,  '74. 

My  dear  George  :  —  If  you  and  Lilly  were  here 
our  joy  would  be  full.  The  sense  of  rest  is  very  palpa- 
ble. Just  at  the  time  when  work  begins  to  subside, 
usually,  i.  e.,  at  our  Convention,  it  seemed  to  be  neces- 
sary to  take  hold  of  the  Hospital  project  in  earnest. 
Several  distant  visitations  had  to  be  disposed  of  first, 
and  in  fact  less  than  a  fortnight's  time  remained  for  the 
whole  business  of  raising  the  subscriptions.  It  was  plain 
that  the  task  must  be  mine  or  nobody's.  To  make  it 
harder  the  Board  voted  that  nothing  should  be  done 
till  $20,000  should  be  subscribed.  This  was  supposed 
by  many  to  be  a  deathblow  to  the  project.  Everybody 
looked  on  the  attempt  as  Quixotic,  the  idea  as  prepos- 
terous, and  the  achievement,  in  these  times,  and  in  Syra- 
cuse, as  no  more  likely  than  a  miracle.  I  resolved,  by 
the  help  of  God,  to  put  off  smelling  the  breath  of  the 
cows  and  hearing  Ponto  squeal,  till  I  should  get  the 
subscriptions.  That  it  would  be  done  so  soon  I  did  not 
venture  to  hope  or  imagine.  I  took  the  last  subscrip- 
tion at  two  forty-five  Friday  afternoon,  and  at  three 
o'clock  had  a  meeting  of  the  Trustees,  and  we  elected 
a  strong  Building  Committee. 

There  were  not  only  many  amusing  revelations  and 
incidents  in  the  process,  but  the  sort  of  amazement  and 
awe  with  which  the  bankers,  merchants,  and  lawyers 
came  to  look  upon  me  towards  the  close  was  entertain- 
ing to  the  last  degree.  I  am  told  men  pointed  at  me  in 
the  street  as  they  would  at  the  Wandering  Jew,  or  Dr. 
Livingstone,  or  Caesar.  To  take  $20,000  is  just  the 
thing  to  make  the  City  open  its  eyes.  Five  years  of  spirit- 


ENTRANCE   ON   THE   EPISCOPATE        309 

iial  labor  or  moral  sacrifice  would  be  nothing  to  that. 
God  pity  their  souls ! 

Your  birthday  fell  on  the  last  of  those  anxious, 
crowded,  intense  days.  There  was  time  to  ask  God  to 
bless  you,  —  to  grant  you  a  full  teachable  and  united 
flock,  and  to  permit  you  to  see  so  much  of  the  fruit  of 
your  six  faithful  years  of  watching  and  working  as  it 
may  seem  to  Him  best  that  you  should  see.  A  great 
deal  has  come  into  your  life  within  that  time.  In  the 
natural  course  of  things,  how  much  more  of  the  work- 
season  is  left  for  you  than  for  me! 

We  look  forward  now  to  your  visit  eagerly. 

Ever  affectionately, 

F.  D.  H. 


Hadley  Aug.  13,  1874. 
To  H.  S.  W. 

Your  letter  came  when  I  was  in  Rhode  Island  trying, 
with  my  Brother-Bishops,  to  make  the  abused  Hymnal 
a  little  more  acceptable.  I  trust  we  have  made  enough 
alterations  and  not  too  many,  and  of  a  kind  to  carry  the 
Book  through  the  Convention.  But  an  assembly  of 
men  is  an  uncertain  element,  and  nobody  can  ever 
know  what  it  will  do,  especially  if  it  comes  to  discussion. 

Did  you  ever  see  a  "  Parish  Clambake  "  ^  We  were 
led  out  to  one,  one  afternoon.  It  is  one  of  the  ghastly 
services  of  a  half-christianized  community  to  make  up 
for  their  neglect  of  God's  law,  in  putting  the  tithe  into 
His  Treasury,  by  a  combination  of  frolic,  traffic  and 
religion,  and  so  making  out  a  support  for  the  preaching 
of  a  mutilated  Gospel.  There  were  fine  women  and 
fine  men;  the  spot  was  lovely;  the  sky  was  superb. 
But  the  chowder  was  gritty ;  the  green  com  was  liter- 


310  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

ally  wrapped  in  sackcloth  and  ashes ;  there  was  a  smack 
of  mammon  in  the  sauce ;  and  I  was  glad  to  get  back 
to  Watts  and  Doddridge,  Keble  and  Ken. 

January  31,  '75. 
Our  Hospital  affairs  are  going  on  smoothly.  Mrs. 
Bumham  makes  an  excellent  impression.^  Keble 
School  is  full.  We  have  had  a  two  days'  Conference 
of  our  Diocese  at  Waterloo,  with  animating  and  hearty 
worship,  stirring  singing,  and  a  dozen  thoughtful  papers 
on  important  practical  topics,  —  so  earnest  and  able 
as  to  make  me  proud  of  the  intellectual  and  spiritual 
character  of  my  Clergy. 

Early  in  his  Episcopate,  Bishop  Huntington  inaugu- 
rated the  custom  of  holding  yearly  Conferences  for  the 
clergy  and  laity  of  the  diocese.  These  occasions  were 
full  of  interest  to  himself,  and  gave  him  an  opportunity 
to  impress  upon  those  who  worked  under  him  the  value 
he  placed  upon  certain  aspects  of  the  sacred  ministry. 
His  purpose  was  threefold :  to  promote  more  thorough 
study  of  the  scriptures  and  the  Fathers,  to  deepen  the 
spiritual  life  of  the  clergy,  and  to  awaken  greater  mis- 
sionary zeal  in  the  parishes.  The  preparation  of  written 
essays  was  intended  not  only  to  be  a  literary  stimulus, 
which  with  his  fine  intellectual  taste  could  not  be  depre- 
ciated, but  still  more  a  means  of  promoting  wider  read- 
ing and  better  acquaintance  with  the  great  exegetical 
writers  of  the  day.   His  own  mind,  as  has  been  already 

^  Mrs.  Mary  D.  Burnham  came  from  Boston,  where  she  had  been 
one  of  the  devoted  band  of  workers  in  Emmanuel  Church,  to  take 
the  position  of  Head  of  the  Woman's  Auxiliary  of  the  Diocese  and 
to  be  House-Mother  of  the  Hospital. 


ENTRANCE    ON   THE   EPISCOPATE        311 

indicated,  was  not  inclined  to  discussion  for  the  sake  of 
argument,  but  rather  for  illumination  through  the  ex- 
change of  ideas  and  an  extension  of  the  range  of  sym- 
pathies.  His  respect  for  scholarship  was  profound,  and 
one  benefit  sought  in  these  gatherings  was  to  give  the 
younger  men  an  opportunity  to  profit  by  the  patient 
labor  of  those  among  them  who  had  real  knowledge  to 
impart.  It  was  his  practice  to  close  the  interchange  of 
thought  with  some  suggestion  of  his  own  on  the  deeper 
lessons  to  be  drawn,  often  arousing  in  his  hearers,  by 
his  magnetic  and  quickening  power,  an  inspiration 
which  sent  them  home  with  a  new  spirit  of  consecration. 
Thus  at  one  time,  when  the  subject  treated  was  the 
different  aspects  of  the  "  Message, "  he  reminded  them 
that  all  their  words  were  spoken  in  the  presence  of 
Him  who  is  alike  the  Master  of  the  work  and  the 
Original  of  the  Message,  at  another,  on  the  theme  of 
"  Worship,"  he  drew  their  thoughts  upward  to  Christ 
as  the  one  Fountain-head  of  all  light  and  power  and 
life. 

In  March,  1879,  he  gave  a  Conscio  ad  clerum  on 
"Preaching  as  it  was  in  the  original  system  of  the 
Church,  or  the  sermon  of  the  Petrine  period  the  pattern 
of  the  sermon-work  of  after  ages,  as  respects  doctrine, 
method  and  spirit." 

The  missionary  meetings  in  connection  with  the 
Conferences  were  made  the  occasion  of  securing  the 
best  speakers  to  be  obtained,  and  in  this  way  the  differ- 
ent Convocation  districts  and  the  rural  parishes  had 
the  benefit  of  inspiring  addresses  from  bishops  and 
other  workers  in  domestic  and  foreign  fields. 

At  the  seventh  annual  Convention  of  the  diocese, 
June  14,  1876,  the  Bishop  said  in  his  address:  "Expe- 


312  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

rience  shows  that  the  best  men  for  our  missionary  ser- 
vice are  those  trained  on  our  own  ground.  Besides, 
every  bishop  wants  the  use  of  all  his  own  candidates 
during  their  diaconate,  a  period  of  great  practical 
importance,  for  the  free  work  of  itineracy  and  in  small 
stations,  of  which  we  have  so  much  on  hand.  It  is  clear 
to  me  that  we  shall  never  be  furnished  with  a  full  force 
of  evangelists  and  associate  missioners  till  we  educate 
them  among  ourselves.  We  ought  therefore  to  be  look- 
ing forward  to  that  measure  and  shaping  a  plan  for  a 
training-school  at  the  centre  of  the  diocese,  conducted 
with  a  regular  course  of  study,  lectures  in  the  different 
departments  of  scientific  and  pastoral  theology  and 
homiletics,  by  our  own  scholars,  with  terms  of  practical 
exercise  under  parish  ministers."  In  the  following 
September  this  ideal  was  so  far  realized  that  a  small 
house  was  rented  near  Calvary  Mission,  not  far  from 
the  Episcopal  residence,  and  St.  Andrew's  Divinity 
School  opened;  the  staff  of  teachers  consisting  of  the 
Bishop;  Rev.  C.  P.  Jennings,  D.D.,  as  Dean;  Dr.  J. 
M.  Clarke,  Rev.  H.  R.  Lockwood,  and  others. ^  The 
students  and  clergy  constituted  an  Associate  Mission, 
and  by  this  means  services  were  sustained  in  small 
parishes  and  stations. 

During  the  summer  of  1876  James  Huntington  was 
abroad,  taking  a  walking  tour  through  Scotland,  and 
his  father  wrote  to  him  concerning  the  new  project. 

^  In  succession  the  deans  of  St.  Andrew's  Divinity  School  were: 
the  Rev.  Charles  P.  Jennings,  S.T.D.,  the  Rev.  William  D.  Wilson, 
D.D.,  LL.D.,  L.H.D.,  and  Professor  Emeritus  of  Cornell  Univer- 
sity, who  took  charge  November  1,  1886,  and  the  Rev.  Theodore 
Babcock,  D.D.,  who  became  dean  October  1,  1899.  The  Bishop 
himself  conducted  classes  and  gave  courses  of  lectures  during  some 
part  of  each  season. 


ENTRANCE    ON    THE    EPISCOPATE        313 

Hadley,  August  10,  '76. 
Many  of  my  hours,  of  course,  are  given  to  our  Dio- 
cese and  to  the  next  year's  work.  The  group  of  theo- 
logical students  forms  a  feature  of  special  interest,  on 
other  grounds  than  that  of  its  novelty ;  and  I  hope  my 
anxiety  about  it  will  not  amount  to  a  distrust  of  Provi- 
dence. Dr.  Perry  has  asked  me  to  preach  his  conse- 
cration sermon,  Sept.  10,  at  Geneva.  Thinking  it  over, 
I  declined.  There  are  those  equally  competent  who 
prize  and  enjoy  such  opportunities.  Four  times  I  have 
stood  back  from  such  a  preaching,  feeling  unequal  to 
it.  Am  I  getting  old  or  lazy,  or  fastidious  ?  I  never  like, 
especially  on  such  ceremonies,  to  discourse,  unless  be- 
forehand I  am  conscious  of  the  strong  afflatus  and  an 
absorbing  subject. 

That  same  season  it  became  necessary  to  raise  a 
large  sum  for  St.  John's  School,  Manlius,  and  the 
Bishop's  mind  during  the  vacation  was  oppressed  with 
the  difficulty  of  meeting  an  obligation  which  no  one  but 
himself  seemed  disposed  to  assume.  Generous  friends 
within  the  diocese  and  without  came  to  his  assistance, 
however,  and  he  wrote  a  little  later,  expressing  his 
gratitude  for  the  relief. 

Hadley,  Sept.  1,  '76. 
Dear  James  :  —  You  will  rejoice  with  me  that  last 
evening's  mail  brought  the  last  $100  necessary  to 
finish  the  St.  John's  subscription.  Some  of  it  has 
been  in  smaller  sums,  and  almost  as  slowly  and  spar- 
ingly as  the  raindrops  that  have  fallen  since  dog- 
days  began.  In  spite  of  the  dryness,  this  is  a  day  of 
thanksgiving. 


314  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

Some  of  the  farmers  are  cutting  up  their  com.  The 
carriage  wheels  rattle.  The  river,  I  never  saw  so  low. 
But  there  is  general  health.  We  are  wondering  what 
the  effect  of  our  summer's  recreation  will  be.  God 
knows,  and  something  depends,  no  doubt,  on  our- 
selves. 

Syracuse,  Oct.  7,  1876. 
To  E.  V.  D. 

The  other  Sunday  I  was  on  a  visitation  to  one  of  my 
active  and  interested  little  Missions  —  "  Willowdale," 
on  Seneca  Lake.  A  short  time  before  the  service,  where 
1  was  to  confirm  several  young  persons,  the  "first- 
fruits  "  of  the  Mission  work,  I  had  occasion  to  go  to  the 
small  Church;  and  as  I  came  out  I  met  a  very  aged 
lady  with  a  cheerful  face,  seated  in  an  armchair,  help- 
less, and  carried  to  meet  God  in  His  House  by  the  arms 
of  two  stout  young  farmers.  I  could  only  say,  "  Inter- 
cession!" We  bear  one  another  to  the  mercy-seat,  to 
the  Saviour,  to  Peace.  I  must  thank  you  for  giving  me  a 
new  occasion  for  this  blessed  office.  If  our  prayers 
should  be  answered,  and  the  tempted  heart  be  snatched 
from  the  snare  of  the  fowler,  I  hope  you  will  let  me 
know  it  that  we  may  give  thanks  together.  For  I  sup- 
pose thanks  are  as  dear  to  our  Lord  as  petitions;  and 
we  so  often  have  to  exclaim,  "Where  are  the  nine? 
Were  there  not  ten  cleansed  ?  " 

Your  letter  shows  that  you  keep  close  to  the  Master, 
—  or  rather  that  He  keeps  you  close  to  Him.  It  is  better 
to  think  of  Him  than  even  of  our  spiritual  selves. 
Whether  we  are  happy  is  not  essential.  It  is  essential 
only  that  we  have  Jesus  in  us,  the  hope  of  glory  and  a 
present  life. 


ENTRANCE    ON    THE    EPISCOPATE        315 

Happy  old  Emmanuel  days!  Nor  are  our  present 
days  less  good  in  a  different  way. 

God  grant  you  inward  strength  and  light! 

Most  affectionately  and  faithfully  yours, 

F.  D.  H. 

The  religious  work  of  the  Mission  here  referred  to 
was  especially  dear  to  Bishop  Huntington's  heart.  He 
always  spoke  with  interest  and  appreciation  of  the  op- 
portunity afforded  him  of  becoming  acquainted  with  it, 
and  the  devoted  woman  who  gave  her  life  to  it,  on  the 
long  drives  when  he  accompanied  her  across  the  coun- 
try region  between  the  lakes.  It  was  her  custom  each 
Sunday,  after  service  in  the  little  church  near  her  farm- 
house, to  visit  three  Mission  stations  in  succession,  the 
faithful  pony  harnessed  to  a  buckboard  bringing  her 
home  at  nine  o'clock  in  the  evening. 

In  allusion  to  these  expeditions,  the  Bishop  wrote 
her  once:  "The  Bible  has  a  great  deal  about  horses. 
Your  nag  ought  to  have  a  biography.  How  fine  that  is 
in  Jeremiah  xii.  5:  *If  thou  hast,'  etc. !  " 

A  presbyter  writes,  in  a  private  letter  some  time  after 
Bishop  Huntington's  death,  to  the  author  of  the  beauti- 
ful memorial  sermon,  "The  Good  Shepherd:"  "In 
a  special  way  I  appreciated  your  description  of  his 
episcopate,  its  simplicity,  its  devotion,  its  rich  giving 
of  its  best.  Of  this  I  could  testify  myself,  living  as  I  did 
on  the  very  borders,  and  witnessing  from  across  the  line 
something  of  what  he  did  and  said.  It  was  always  a 
spiritual  and  intellectual  feast-day  when  he  made 
Geneva  his  headquarters  for  the  visitations  in  the  west- 
ern section  of  his  diocese,  and  found  a  restful  home  in 
my  own  parish.   I  recall  with  joy  and  pride  in  him,  the 


316  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

day  when  at  the  laying  of  a  comer-stone  in  a  httle  vil- 
lage across  the  lake,  surrounded  by  a  few  hundred 
country  folk,  he  made  an  address  that  would  have 
stirred  the  hearts  and  lifted  the  minds  of  any  congre- 
gation in  the  land." 

Syeacuse,  Nov.  27,  '76. 

To  Miss  Bethia  Huntington. 

My  dear  Sister:  —  We  can  gather  to-morrow  in  lov- 
ing remembrance  and  imperishable  love  and  undivided 
sympathy,  if  not  in  the  outward  presence  ;  and  near 
to  the  mercy-seat,  if  not  in  sight  of  the  old  home.  We 
shall  think  of  you  many  times.  Our  circle  will  not  be 
large.  It  being  St.  Andrew's  Day,  and  our  new  Divinity 
School  being  called  from  that  Apostle,  we  are  to  have 
a  special  Communion  service  in  the  morning.  My  Bos- 
ton visit  was  full  of  hearty  greetings  and  pleasant  things 
—  though  the  weather  was  bad.  Most  of  the  time  I  was 
at  Maiden. 

The  Boston  people  like  literary  tournaments  and 
evidently  enjoyed  the  Church  Congress.  Unitarianism 
and  Puritanism  both  were  taken  by  surprise  at  the  free- 
dom, boldness,  freshness,  and  progressiveness  of  the 
discussions.  It  was  a  new  revelation.  As  soon  as  the 
proceedings  are  printed  together  I  will  send  you  a  copy. 

The  head  of  the  diocese  did  not  confine  his  interest 
in  the  education  of  the  youth  in  Central  New  York  to 
the  boys  at  St.  John's  School.  He  believed  equally  in 
using  every  means  to  train  up  girls  to  a  noble  Christian 
womanhood. 

The  exercises  of  the  first  graduating  class  at  Keble 
School  proved  to  be  the  beginning  of  a  long  succession 


ENTRANCE    ON   THE    EPISCOPATE        317 

of  those  happy  occasions,  continued  without  break  for 
twenty-four  years,  when  in  presenting  the  diplomas, 
the  Bishop  added  words  of  fatherly  counsel.  His  ad- 
dress on  June  19,  1877,  gave  the  history  of  the  school, 
opened  for  boarding-scholars,  six  years  before,  by  Miss 
Mary  J.  Jackson,  its  honored  principal  to  the  end.  He 
said :  "  The  name  selected  and  conferred  upon  it,  after 
much  thought,  was  that  attractive  one  which  the  school 
delights  to  bear,  associated  with  the  finest  and  most 
exalted  traits  of  Christian  Hfe  and  character,  with  con- 
secrated scholarship,  with  poetry  and  charity,  and  with 
the  reverent  worship  of  the  Church  of  God  in  our  Eng- 
lish tongue."  Keble  School  was  in  the  near  vicinity  of 
the  Bishop's  residence,  two  of  his  daughters  received 
their  education  there,  and  his  relations  with  it  were  in- 
timate and  sympathetic.  He  became  well  acquainted 
with  many  of  the  young  girls,  who  came  from  homes 
in  his  diocese  and  from  a  distance,  some  of  them 
daughters  of  his  clergy.  It  was  for  two  of  such  anniver- 
saries that  he  wrote  the  papers,  afterwards  published 
and  widely  read,  "  Good  Talking  and  Good  Man- 
ners; Fine  Arts."  The  Keble  daughters  who  were 
privileged  to  attend  the  gatherings  will  remember  how 
the  speaker  contrived  in  brief  space,  and  yet  year  after 
year  with  fresh  grace  and  skill,  to  convey  affectionate 
admonitions,  a  farewell  to  those  for  whom  the  day  of 
parting  had  come,  and  a  message  of  hope  to  carry 
with  them  for  their  future  life. 

In  September,  1877,  the  Bishop  returned  to  Hadley, 
after  the  family  had  left,  on  his  way  from  his  diocese 
to  the  Triennial  Convention  in  Boston.  A  few  Hues  to 
his  youngest  son,  express  the  indefinable  influence  of 
the  scenes  of  his  childhood,  with  those  impressions  of 


318  FREDERIC   DAN   HUNTINGTON 

an  autumn  afternoon  so  beautifully  portrayed  in  a 
poem  which  he  himself  often  repeated  with  deep  appre- 
ciation, *'The  Closing  Scene,"  by  Buchanan  Read. 

Sept.  30,  1877. 
The  old  place  never  says  so  much  as  when  it  is  stillest 
and  most  deserted.  It  seems  to  have  a  kind  of  tender, 
motherly  pity  for  all  of  us  who  come  and  go.  A  slight 
yellowish  haze  just  tempers  the  full  light  that  covers 
the  valley  and  the  hills.  The  shadows  are  distinct. 
There  is  only  the  least  tinge  of  purple  on  the  woods. 
The  river  is  like  glass.  Yesterday  we  took  the  boat  out 
of  the  water  at  the  ferry-place,  and  it  now  lies  careened 
against  the  elm  in  front  of  the  horse-bam.  Carl  walks 
about  in  stately  wonder.  I  have  just  been  over  to  the 
pasture,  and  presently  Bethia  is  going  with  me  behind 
the  hill. 

In  an  account  of  the  General  Convention  of  1877,  in 
the  pages  of  the  *'  Gospel  Messenger, "  Bishop  Hunt- 
ington expressed  his  constitutional  distaste  for  exces- 
sive discussion.  "The  moral  law  for  deliberative  Bod- 
ies needs  a  special  commandment:  'Thou  shalt  not 
talk  over  much.'  Counting  nothing  but  the  cost  in 
time  and  pecuniary  expense,  the  Church  and  Boston 
Churchmen  have  just  suffered  a  fearful  and  needless 
waste  from  the  tongues  of  men  who  talk  without  excuse. 
The  matter  is  not  to  be  treated  as  a  mere  foible.  The 
intemperance  is  a  sin  and  ought  to  be  treated  as  a  sin 
not  to  be  borne.  A  moderate  degree  of  abstinence 
should  be  made  a  qualification  for  deputy-ship.  If  far- 
ler  had  been  the  final  cause  and  sole  function  of  Parlia- 
ment, King  John  might  well  enough  have  had  his  way. 


ENTRANCE   ON   THE   EPISCOPATE        319 

Stephen  Langton  have  saved  the  expense  of  his  jour- 
ney to  Rome,  and  the  great  Earl  Simon  kept  sheep  in 
Leicestershire,  instead  of  making  crowns  sit  uneasy 
on  royal  heads. 

"After  all,  the  holy  kingdom  of  our  Lord  is  best 
served  and  most  set  forward,  not  by  legislative  assem- 
blies but  the  faithful  labors  of  his  servants  in  their  sev- 
eral spheres  of  toil.  And  his  most  honorable  stewards 
and  ambassadors  are  not  those  who  figure  conspicu- 
ously in  assemblies  but  those  who  stand  in  their  lot  and 
do  his  will  day  by  day." 

Three  new  congregations  were  by  this  time  gathered 
in  Syracuse,  with  all  of  which  the  Bishop  held  especially 
close  and  affectionate  relations,  —  St.  John's,  Calvary, 
and  Grace.  A  beautiful  stone  edifice  for  the  last-named 
parish  was  consecrated  by  him  Feb.  9,  1877.  Under 
the  lead  of  Rev.  Thomas  E.  Pattison  and  his  de- 
voted wife,  an  earnest  band  of  worshipers  had  already 
been  drawn  together.  Calvary  Church  was  opened 
for  divine  service  on  Christmas  morning,  1877,  and 
none  were  happier  than  the  Bishop's  own  family,  three 
of  whom  had  been  workers  in  the  Mission  from  the  be- 
ginning. He  himself  was  the  celebrant,  assisted  by  his 
son,  the  minister  in  charge.  In  his  own  words  in  the 
"  Gospel  Messenger,"  "  Thus  in  the  merciful  Provi- 
dence of  God,  the  Bishop  of  the  Diocese  has  a  Free 
Church  in  his  own  immediate  pastorship  and  charge, 
at  his  own  disposal,  for  the  furtherance  of  the  princi- 
ples of  our  doctrine,  discipline  and  worship." 

The  Lenten  readings,  "  Helps  to  a  Holy  Lent,"  com- 
posed largely  of  selections,  were  so  widely  circulated 
that  in  1876  a  second  volume, "  New  Helps,"  was  issued, 


320  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

which  contained  a  larger  proportion  of  the  Bishop's 
own  writings.  The  following  year  the  Bohlen  Lectures, 
which  he  had  delivered  the  preceding  winter  in  Phila- 
delphia, were  published  under  the  title,  "  Fitness  of 
Christianity  to  Man." 

In  1878  he  issued  a  new  volume  of  sermons,  "  Christ 
in  the  Christian  Year  and  in  the  Life  of  Man;  Ser- 
mons for  Laymen's  Reading."  Of  this  he  wrote  to  his 
eldest  son,  Sept.  17,  1877:  "My  volume  is  done  and 
the  proofs  come  rapidly.  With  some  misgivings  I  hope 
it  may  be  of  use." 

Syracuse.  Dec.  13.  1877. 
To  A.  L.  W. 

My  first  Lecture  of  the  four  for  Philadelphia  is  just 
done  and  I  must  work  hard  on  the  others.  They  will 
be  on  the  argument  for  Christianity  dra^Ti  from  its  fit- 
ness to  the  wants  of  man,  —  man  as  a  being  of  active 
worship,  thought,  and  culture.  I  doubt  if  you  have  no- 
ticed that  I  have  been  rash  enough  to  make  another 
book  of  sermons.  If  I  were  near  by  I  should  give  your 
mother  a  copy,  and  hope  for  gentle  judgment  from  her 
critical  mind. 

Syracuse,  Ash  Wednesday,  '79. 

Dear  George  :  —  One  is  impressed  this  morning 
with  the  thought  that  millions  of  men  will  pray  to-day 
for  spiritual  gifts  and  for  the  Kingdom  of  our  Lord; 
and  that  even  in  our  own  small  Household  three  thou- 
sand ministers  are  setting  themselves  to  Forty  Days  of 
strenuous  labor.  Such  a  campaign  ought  to  do  some- 
thing to  stay  the  religious  decline  and  yield  returns, 
visible  or  invisible.    May  God  grant  you  your  share. 


ENTRANCE    ON   THE    EPISCOPATE        321 

.     June  27,  1879. 

To  A.  L.  P. 

This  has  been  a  year  of  blessing,  —  hard  work,  but 
blessed  work,  and  you  will  let  me  say,  thankfully,  that 
I  come  to  the  close  of  it  with  as  much  vigor  and  fresh- 
ness of  body  and  spirit  as  I  ever  knew,  almost,  in  my 
life.  People  with  such  a  constitution  as  mine  ought  to 
work.  It  must  be  what  they  are  made  for.  Our  Con- 
vention was  delightful.  Except  for  my  chronic  lack  of 
money,  all  seems  to  go  well  outwardly,  and  except  for 
the  chronic  lack  of  spirituality  and  self-sacrifice,  all 
well  inwardly. 

Sept.  27,  '79. 

During  the  last  two  or  three  weeks  of  our  stay  at  Had- 
ley  we  were  watching  over  my  dear  Sister  Bethia.  I 
finally  closed  her  eyes,  on  Sunday  afternoon,  Sept.  14, 
and  we  laid  her  precious  body  in  the  Hadley  grave- 
yard on  Tuesday. 

Her  disease  was  not  much  prolonged.  It  was  the 
end  of  a  life  of  unswerving,  unvarying,  complete,  in- 
genious self-sacrifice  for  those  around  her.  She  never 
had  a  fuss  or  an  alienation,  I  am  sure,  with  a  human 
being.  You  can  imagine  how  glad  and  grateful  we  all 
were  that  she  fell  asleep,  as  she  would  have  asked,  in 
her  own  room,  the  same  where  I  was  born.  On  the  Sun- 
day before,  I  sat  with  her  and  we  had  a  long  talk  of  old 
times.  I  reminded  her  of  my  birth-time.  She  told  me 
how  delighted  she  was  when  she  took  me,  a  baby,  into 
her  arms,  she  being  thirteen  years  old  then.  Among 
her  last  words  were,  "  Good  morning,  my  brother;" 
"A  little  while;"  "Christ;  ""Everlasting  rest."  Butshe 
was  unconscious  for  some  hours.    Having  cared  for  mo- 


322  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

ther  and  father,  sisters  and  brothers,  she  saw  them  all 
pass,  one  by  one,  into  the  Eternal  Peace,  — and  then  she 
placed  her  own  feet  firmly  on  the  stones  of  the  brook, 
and  went  over.  And  now  she  is  far  up  among  the  hills 
of  God.  But  for  the  grace  and  mercy  of  God  I  could 
not  hope  to  overtake  her.  She  was  the  guardian  spirit 
of  the  old  Home,  and  how  much  we  shall  miss  her  there 
as  long  as  we  are  suffered  to  go  to  it! 


CHAPTER   X 


THE   ROYAL   LAW 


"  Brethren,  I  have  it  in  my  commission  to  comfort  the  feeble-minded 
and  to  support  the  weak.   You  must  needs  go  along  with  us." 

"To  be  ardent  without  affectation,  enthusiastic  with- 
out inconstancy,  vigorous  without  assumption,  cheer- 
ful without  irreverence,  equal  to  all  occasions  without 
courting  either  applause  or  opposition,  is  the  perfect 
type  of  piety."  These  words  Bishop  Huntington  wrote 
in  the  introduction  to  an  English  biography,^  early  in 
the  years  of  his  Episcopate.  There  could  be  no  better 
description  of  traits  wliich  constituted  a  charm  of  his 
own  disposition  and  which  manifested  themselves 
through  the  cares  and  vicissitudes  of  a  long  life  devoted 
to  the  service  of  his  fellow  men.  It  has  been  seen  in  the 
records  of  his  youth  and  manhood  that  he  threw  him- 
self with  all  his  heart  into  plans  and  undertakings  for 
the  benefit  of  the  world  around  him,  lending  the  influ- 
ence of  his  voice  and  pen  to  movements  in  behalf  of  the 
suffering  and  the  oppressed.  Upon  the  platform  his  elo- 
quence was  magnetic,  but  that  side  of  his  nature  "  which 
courted  neither  applause  nor  opposition  "  had  little 
sympathy  for  public  demonstrations  or  debate.  Al- 
though this  distaste  increased  with  advancing  years,  he 
never  failed  to  take  a  keen  interest  in  the  causes  under- 

^  Memorials  of  a  Quiet  Life,  by  Augustus  J.  C.  Hare.   American 
Edition. 


324  FREDERIC    DAN   HUNTINGTON 

lying  social  agitation  or  to  participate  in  practical 
measures  of  reform.  The  decade  after  his  sixtieth  birth- 
day was  perhaps  the  high-water  mark  of  his  energetic 
and  eager  efforts  for  the  extermination  of  evil.  No 
utterances  of  his  on  any  subject  were  more  ringing, 
more  vehement,  more  in  the  spirit  of  the  prophets  of 
old  than  those  on  the  relations  of  capital  to  labor,  on 
the  misuses  of  wealth  and  the  decline  of  public  moral- 
ity. But  while  he  contended  for  social  righteousness, 
his  was  not  the  nature  to  bewail  or  rebuke  the  sins  of  a 
community  without  attempting  to  set  wrongdoers  on 
the  straight  path.  Soon  after  his  removal  to  Syracuse 
he  was  called  upon  to  serve  at  the  head  of  a  committee 
appointed  at  a  citizens'  meeting,  to  consider  that  spe- 
cial form  of  tolerated  impurity,  known  as  "the  social 
evil."  The  printed  report,  which  he  prepared,  dealt 
with  this  difficult  subject  in  uncompromising  loftiness 
of  warning  and  meets  the  situation  by  direct  counsel, 
incorporated  in  certain  resolutions,  one  of  which  con- 
templated the  immediate  opening  of  a  reformatory 
for  girls. 

At  this  period  such  youthful  offenders,  even  when 
still  childlike  in  age  and  experience,  were  incarcerated 
in  the  same  wing  of  the  county  Penitentiary  with  the 
debased  and  criminal  of  both  sexes.  Bishop  Hunt- 
ington, with  the  exception  of  his  son,  was  the  only 
clergyman  or  layman  who  took  steps  to  remedy  this 
flagrant  evil,  in  behalf  of  the  neglected  girls  of  the 
city.  When  the  Shelter  was  opened  in  1877,  through 
the  initiative  of  the  Rev.  James  Huntington,  the 
Bishop  assumed  the  responsibility  of  the  furnishing, 
and  stood  behind  its  financial  support  from  that  time 
until  the  destructive  fire  in  1901,  when  friends  rallied 


THE    ROYAL   LAW  325 

to  its  relief  and  placed  it  on  a  more  permanent  founda- 
tion. To  the  end  of  his  life  Bishop  Huntington  main- 
tained the  religious  services  in  the  institution,  largely 
through  his  private  chaplains,  oftentimes  by  his  own 
ministration. 

Syracuse,  May  7,  1878. 
My  dear  Wife:  —  Yesterday  afternoon  Mr.  Ham- 
ilton took  me  out  to  the  East  side  of  the  City  to  look  for 
a  good  site  for  the  "Shelter."  We  found  two  excellent 
spots,  but  whether  we  shall  have  the  means  to  buy  and 
build  is  not  so  clear.  ^  Poor  F.  B.  has  gone  from  bad  to 
worse,  and  at  last  to  the  poHce  court.  She  has  written 
me  a  piteous  appeal  and  last  evening  her  mother  came 
to  see  me.  This  morning  I  go  down  to  see  Justice  Mul- 
holland  and  think  I  shall  try  to  get  him  to  suspend  sen- 
tence if  she  will  go  to  the  House  of  Mercy  for  a  year. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  White  Cross  Society,  in  New  York, 
a  letter  from  Bishop  Huntington  was  received  which 
was  printed  verbatim  in  a  circular  issued.  Speaking  of 
the  strange  apathy  among  Christian  people  on  the  sub- 
ject of  social  purity,  he  says:  "  Why  are  such  progres- 
sive movements,  full  of  the  most  beneficent  spirit  of 
our  time,  more  promptly  seized  upon  and  pushed  for- 
ward in  the  conservative  habits  of  the  old  country,  than 
in  this  land  of  liberty,  where  they  are  needed  quite  as 
much.?" 

His  protest  was  always  raised,  and  aid  in  influencing 
legislation  promptly  given,  against  bills  for  the  legal- 

^  A  lot  of  land  was  presented,  in  a  letter  to  the  Bishop,  ofTering  her 
"widow's  mite,"  by  Mrs.  Henry  Raynor,  and  on  this  site  the  first 
building  was  erected,  through  gifts  from  Henry  Daboll,  of  Memphis, 
Mrs.  Horace  White,  and  other  friends  of  the  work. 


326  FREDERIC    DAN   HUNTINGTON 

izing  of  vice,  or  in  support  of  measures  for  the  protec- 
tion of  children,  for  the  appointment  of  police  matrons, 
for  associations  in  behalf  of  discharged  prisoners,  and 
kindred  efforts  of  humanity  and  amelioration. 

In  his  own  diocese,  two  plague  spots  of  moral  cor- 
ruption caused  him  much  concern:  one  was  the  then 
existing  Free  Love  Community,  on  the  old  Oneida 
Reservation ;  and  the  other  the  strong  Pagan  influence 
among  the  Onondaga  Indians,  living  on  their  tribal 
lands  just  south  of  Syracuse.  It  was  in  protest  against 
the  openly  avowed  manner  of  life  among  the  people  of 
the  Oneida  Community,  that  he  wrote,  in  February, 
1879,  one  of  his  most  powerful  productions,  in  defense 
of  family  life,  with  an  arraignment  of  those  by  whom 
the  laws  of  marriage  were  boldly  defied.  The  resolu- 
tions with  which  the  report  closed  were  published,  over 
the  signatures  of  prominent  men  in  church  and  state. 
The  complete  MSS.,  preserved  among  the  Bishop's 
papers,  has  this  endorsement  in  his  own  handwriting :  — 

"My  part  in  breaking  up  the  Oneida  Community. 
The  man  Noyes  became  alarmed  at  what  we  were  pre- 
paring to  do  by  law,  and  fled,  it  was  said,  to  Canada, 
in  the  night." 

With  the  disappearance  of  the  leader  the  objection- 
able features  of  the  establishment  gave  place  to  an  in- 
dustrial organization,  and  the  existence  of  a  commu- 
nistic settlement  of  such  a  character  in  the  midst  of 
Christian  civilization  remains  now  one  of  the  strange 
incidents  of  the  past. 

For  the  benighted  heathen  living  as  aliens  in  the 
great  Empire  State,  Bishop  Huntington  never  ceased 
to  labor,  filled  with  commiseration  for  those  descend- 
ants of  the  red  man,  separated  by  language  and  tradi- 


THE    ROYAL    lAW  327 

tion  from  improving  influences  while  subjected  to  con- 
tact with  the  debased  and  designing  of  the  community 
around  them;  dependent  Hke  children  for  protection 
upon  the  state  and  yet  controlled  by  the  arbitrary  rule 
of  their  own  chiefs. 

In  1885,  in  a  letter  to  a  Syracuse  journal,  Bishop 
Huntington  recalled  his  earliest  visit,  thirty  years  be- 
fore, to  the  Onondaga  Reservation,  "  when  that  sweet- 
hearted  philanthropist,  the  Rev.  Mr.  May,  of  Syracuse, 
took  me  out  there,  as  I  was  traveling,  and  we  went  to 
the  schoolhouse,  and  old  LaForte  came  in  to  receive 
a  message  from  the  Massachusetts  Society  for  Propa- 
gating the  Gospel  among  the  Indians  of  North  Amer- 
ica." When  he  came  again,  in  1869,  the  new  Bishop  was 
received  at  "  the  castle  "  by  members  of  his  own  com- 
munion, gathered  in  under  the  ministrations  of  the  old 
diocese  of  Western  New  York.  For  this  little  flock, 
and  to  carry  the  gospel  among  the  unconverted  of  the 
tribe.  Bishop  Huntington  established  a  permanent 
Mission,  with  church,  school  and  mission  house,  mak- 
ing provision  for  its  regular  support  through  the  Wo- 
man's Auxiliary  of  Central  New  York.  He  himself 
became  personally  acquainted  with  these  simple  folk, 
visiting  them  and  listening  with  patient  attention  when 
they  brought  their  troubles  to  him;  aiding  especially 
in  plans  for  the  education  of  the  children,  some  of  whom 
were  sent  to  Carlisle  and  Hampton.  One  of  the  most 
beautiful  prayers  which  he  ever  wrote  out  was  for  these 
stray  sheep  in  the  wilderness.  But  he  did  not  rest  with- 
out repeated  attempts  to  secure  better  conditions  on 
the  whole  Reservation. 

The  Hon.  Horatio  Seymour  wrote  to  a  Syracuse 
paper :  "  Bishop  Huntington  beyond  any  person  I  know 


328  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

has  given  his  time  and  labor  to  improve  the  Indians  on 
the  Onondaga  Reservation.  If  I  understand  his  opin- 
ions they  are  that  the  land  should  be  held  by  each  occu- 
pant in  fee,  but  that  the  owners  should  have  no  right  to 
sell  their  interests ;  that  by  this  plan  each  family  would 
have  motives  for  making  improvements  on  their  lands 
and  for  making  them  productive  by  systematic  indus- 
try. They  would  know  that  their  property  would  go  to 
their  children ;  and  yet  as  none  could  sell,  they  would 
not  be  cheated  out  of  their  interest.  It  strikes  me  that 
this  would  be  a  wise  and  a  humane  change  of  the  law." 
In  a  letter  to  the  New  York  "Evening  Post,"  Bishop 
Huntington  said  of  the  system  of  government  among 
the  Onondagas :  "  Petty  and  puerile  as  it  is  when  com- 
pared with  almost  any  civil  economy  known  to  modem 
times,  it  is  yet  capable  of  a  great  deal  of  injustice  and 
does  not  waste  its  opportunity.  The  tribal  government 
consists  chiefly  of  a  complicated  chieftainship  in  various 
grades,  the  offices  being  partly  conferred  by  election 
and  partly  hereditary,  the  line  of  transmission  running 
mostly  through  the  mother's  veins.  The  superior  chiefs, 
ignorant  men,  form  a  close,  irresponsible,  despotic  cor- 
poration or  oHgarchy.  The  lands,  held  in  common,  are 
portioned  out  arbitrarily  under  their  direction  to  fam- 
ilies and  individuals,  for  a  term  of  years,  on  a  plan 
which  gives  easy  play  to  caprice,  cupidity,  cruelty  and 
revenge.  The  income  of  certain  stone  quarries  falls 
into  the  same  greedy  hands."  On  another  occasion,  he 
adds :  "  Convinced  that  a  breaking  up  of  the  tribal  re- 
lation was  absolutely  necessary  to  civilization  or  thrift, 
I  have  labored  to  bring  it  about;  have  written  and 
spoken  and  been  interviewed  for  it,  have  been  to  Albany 
and  argued  it  before  a  special  Committee  of  the  Legis- 


THE   ROYAL   LAW  329 

lature,  and  have  pleaded  with  the  Governor  more  than 
once,  and  am  at  this  moment  in  correspondence  with 
him."  Thus  the  Bishop  wrote  in  1882,  and  the  tale 
might  have  been  repeated  for  the  next  twenty  years. 

At  the  age  of  eighty-three  he  attended  for  the  last 
time  one  of  the  conferences  in  behalf  of  the  Lidians  at 
Lake  Mohonk,  and  read  a  paper  which  was  as  vigor- 
ous, as  far-seeing  and  as  weighty  as  those  of  his  earlier 
years.  After  carefully  setting  forth  the  situation  he 
said :  "  So  it  will  continue  to  be,  substantially,  till  the 
people  choose  officers  and  law-makers  of  such  disin- 
terested and  impartial  statesmanship  as  to  set  reso- 
lutely about  interpreting  and  modifying  fairly  the 
treaty  obligations  under  the  screen  of  which  —  for  it  is 
nothing  more  than  a  screen  —  immorality,  corruption, 
with  idleness  and  ignorance,  plead  a  ffimsy  excuse  and 
ply  their  infamous  traffic.  Li  my  judgment  the  apathy 
of  successive  administrations  at  Albany  toward  the 
vicious  Pagan  practices  at  Onondaga  is  without  de- 
fense, as  the  practices  are  without  decency.  There 
should  be  without  delay  a  thorough  and  searching  and 
complete  investigation  of  the  history  of  these  compacts 
between  the  Indian  chiefs  and  the  state  of  New  York, 
not,  in  this  case,  the  government  in  Washington.  If  it 
should  prove  that  the  treaty  terms  have  been  repeat- 
edly broken  by  either  party  and  are  only  a  stumbling- 
block  to  reform,  then  they  are  a  scandal.  That  search- 
ing inquiry  should  be  made  by  a  commission  having  a 
heart  in  the  business,  and  their  report  and  its  facts 
should  be  seen  by  the  legislature,  the  executive,  and 
the  newspaper  press.  Citizenship,  severalty  in  land, 
it  is  quite  true,  will  not  do  everything;  it  will  not  create 
character,  but  it  will  yield  two  benefits,  positive  and 


330  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

negative :  it  will  add  dignity  to  manhood  in  a  sense  of 
personal  responsibility  and  a  ci\ac  consciousness;  it 
will  protect  domestic  order  and  just  dealing  between 
neighbor  and  neighbor  and  restrain  crime." 

Among  the  many  occasions  when  Bishop  Hunting- 
ton pleaded  for  the  Indians,  from  the  Poncas  on  the 
western  lands  to  his  own  scanty  remnant  of  the  great 
Iroquois,  none  was  more  impressive  through  associa- 
tions of  the  past  than  that  on  which  he  spoke  in  the  vil- 
lage just  across  the  river  from  the  old  homestead  where 
he  was  bom,  and  in  sight  from  his  window.  The  cele- 
bration at  Hatfield  was  in  commemoration  of  an  event 
during  the  harvest  season  of  1676,  when  a  band  of  In- 
dians fell  upon  the  settlement,  while  the  men  were  in 
the  fields,  and  carried  nineteen  people,  old  men,  women, 
and  children,  into  captivity. 

The  details  of  the  final  rescue  and  ransom,  after 
many  difficulties,  by  two  dauntless  men,  and  the 
joyful  return,  all  living  but  three,  with  tw^o  children 
bom  after  the  long  march  to  Canada,  form  one  of 
the  thrilling  tales  of  the  Connecticut  Valley.  The 
orator  of  the  anniversary  gathering,  Bishop  Hunting- 
ton, was  the  great-grandson  of  a  mihtary  captain 
slain  by  the  same  savage  hands  at  the  battle  of  Lake 
George.  In  the  opening  of  his  address  he  referred 
to  this  ancestor  and  remarked  playfully  to  the  good 
folk  of  Hatfield :  "  It  was  no  fault  of  mine  that  he  made 
the  house  I  five  in,  in  summer,  over  the  river,  to  turn 
its  back  to  you  and  its  face  to  the  east.  That  way  I 
see  the  sun  rising,  this  way  I  see  friendly  human  habi- 
tations, the  cultivated  acres  of  an  intelligent  industry, 
a  church-spire  and  many  a  splendid  array  of  clouds 
and  sky,  as  the  sun  goes  down;    in  the  evening  the 


THE    ROYAL    LAW  331 

cheerful  lights  of  peaceful  homes.  Sometimes  I  hear 
the  strains  of  martial  music,  sometimes  voices  along 
the  streets;  occasionally,  on  the  third  night  of  July, 
such  sounds  as  might  have  come  from  the  Mohawks 
or  Nipmucks  or  Narragansetts  of  1676;  sometimes 
a  hymn  of  praise  from  the  lips  of  thankful  worshipers. 
Of  your  church-bell  —  most  of  all  its  Sunday  evening 
tones  —  I  should  fail  completely  to  make  you  under- 
stand or  to  feel  all  that  it  has  been  to  me,  for  seventy 
years,  and  all  that  it  is  to  me  still,  in  tenderness,  in 
pathos,  in  association  with  a  hallowed  and  blessed  past 
in  'thoughts'  which,  as  Wordsworth  says,  'do  often 
lie  too  deep  for  tears.'  It  blends  in  my  memory  with 
the  living  voice  of  my  mother,  my  revered  father, 
brothers  and  sister  who  rest  in  the  Hadley  burial- 
ground,  I  alone  of  them  left  behind.  You  on  this  side 
do  not  know  that  in  coming  over  the  water  between 
us,  the  notes  of  that  bell  take  somewhat  of  a  mysteri- 
ous quality  of  musical  sweetness,  which  I  always 
miss  as  soon  as  I  leave  the  boat  on  the  western  bank." 
Other  reminiscences  of  the  old  days  followed,  and  then 
the  speaker,  with  a  change  of  tone,  enforced  the  deeper 
lesson  of  the  day's  harrowing  memories. 

"After  what  we  have  heard  of  the  Red  Man's 
atrocities,  —  our  minds  filled  and  sensibihties  lacerated 
with  this  actual  savagery,  may  I  venture  to  enter  a 
Christian  plea  for  him  and  beg  you  to  look  a  moment 
at  the  other  side  of  the  picture  ?  For  there  is  another 
side.  There  certainly  is.  Savage  or  human,  brute  or  a 
soul,  the  Indian  is  not  merely  a  creature  of  the  past. 
In  this  great  leading  Nation  of  ours  he  is  a  present  and 
living  element,  a  responsibility,  a  problem,  a  trust; 
for  he  is  a  brother-man.     About  300,000  are  in  our 


332  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

States  and  Territories  to-day,  and  in  the  day  of  judg- 
ment God  Almighty  will  say,  *  Where  is  thy  brother  ? ' 
Nay,  it  is  the  day  of  Judgment  and  He  is  saying  that 
now.  The  extent  of  difficulty  or  resistance  to  Christian- 
ity in  any  heathen  people  is  the  measure  of  its  power, 
and  if  there  is  any  Race  or  Nation  worse,  darker, 
drearier,  or  wasting  faster,  there  precisely  is  where  the 
Gospel  ought  first  to  reach  out  its  hand,  and  lift  its 
voice,  to  heal,  to  bless,  to  save." 


Hadley,  Mass.,  August  24. 
St.  B's  Day. 

To  H.  S.  W. 

My  dear  Friend :  —  It  is  worth  while  to  know  that 
you  have  missed  something,  and  care  enough  for  it 
to  look  it  up,  and  that  something  one  of  my  poor 
hurried  letters,  which  never  seem  to  say  half  what 
they  ought  to,  or  half  they  mean. 

The  summer  is  ending.  How  short,  how  bright, 
how  intensely  summer-like  it  has  been!  If  it  has 
brought  rest  or  heahng  to  your  spirit  or  body  I  am 
thankful.  With  your  children  and  your  mother,  — 
the  spirit  of  youth  and  the  spirit  of  age,  —  there  must 
have  been  many  quietly  and  rationally  happy  hours, 
not  wholly  saddened  by  the  memory  of  joys  past  and 
old  home  vanished.  "  There  remaineth "  another 
"  Rest "  with  no  shadowy  remembrances,  —  another 
House,  from  which  "they  go  no  more  out,"  — a  sum- 
mer on  the  everlasting  hills  without  storm  and  without 
end.  Meantime  the  alternations  of  the  seasons  of  our 
northern  climate,  of  stillness  and  labor,  heat  and 
cold,  seem  to  me  to  add  to  the  interest  of  life.  And  I 
always  find  that  when  the  first  autumnal  colors  and 


THE    ROYAL    LAW  333 

half-lights  steal  into  the  woods  and  the  sky,  a  readi- 
ness for  work  returns.  It  has  been  a  great  relief  to 
me  that  there  was  no  necessity  of  going  to  Lambeth, 
and  that  we  could  have  our  stay  here,  as  usual,  un- 
disturbed. During  July  our  oldest  son,  with  his  wife, 
and  two  little  grandchildren,  were  here.  Various 
other  friends  have  come  and  gone,  —  Bishop  Williams 
among  them.  For  the  last  fortnight,  Ruth  having 
gone  to  make  visits  about  Boston,  the  rest  of  us  have 
had  a  lovely  carriage-ride  in  Southern  Vermont. 
James,  who  always  wants  his  walk,  was  on  his  feet, 
making  each  day  the  distance  our  strong  horse  drew 
us  in  the  carryall.  So  we  jogged  on  among  the  Green 
Mountains  and  their  valleys,  by  running  brooks  of 
water,  through  forests,  with  countless  beautiful 
openings,  far-reaching  views,  and  shady  nooks.  At 
evening  we  came  together.  So  we  traveled  more  than 
two  hundred  miles,  slowly  and  deHghtfully.  It  did  us 
all  a  great  deal  of  good,  tho'  I  did  not  need  it. 

Last  evening  we  drove  up  to  our  own  door  again, 
—  the  dearest  spot  on  earth  to  me.  Next  week  I  have 
got  to  go  down  to  hot  and  dusty  New  York.  We  shall 
hardly  get  to  Syracuse  before  Sept.  24th.,  as  James 
expects  me  to  ordain  him  Deacon  on  St.  Matthew's 
Day  at  his  brother's  Church  in  Maiden.  You  will 
think  of  us  that  Ember  week,  will  you  not,  while  on 
your  knees  ? 

Immediately  after  his  ordination  to  the  diaconate. 
Rev.  James  Huntington  took  charge  of  Calvary 
Church,  Syracuse,  receiving  Priest's  Orders  in  May, 
1880.  In  the  four  years  of  liis  ministry  there,  he  lived 
at  his  father's  house,  and,  besides  parish  work,  la- 


334  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

bored  earnestly  in  behalf  of  souls  among  the  inmates 
of  the  Penitenitary  and  the  county  Poorhouse,  giv- 
ing active  service  also  in  the  establishment  of  the 
Shelter,  of  the  Bureau  of  Labor  and  Charities,  and 
the  Society  for  the  Prevention  of  Cruelty  to  Children. 
During  the  period  of  his  residence  at  home,  the  family, 
with  the  exception  of  the  eldest  son,  were  all  together. 
The  first  break  came  when  considerations  of  health 
required  the  second  daughter  to  go  abroad  for  change 
and  study.  Her  older  sister  accompanied  her  to  Ger- 
many and  remained  away  through  the  following  sum- 
mer. 
To  A    L    P  January.  1881. 

A.  and  R.  sailed  away  from  us  last  Thursday.  I 
saw  them  off.  With  our  untraveled  ways  and  close 
domesticity  this  is  a  hard  separation.  But  the  voyagers 
belong  more  to  God  than  to  us.  He  is  as  near  them 
on  sea  as  land,  and  in  one  land  as  in  another.  He  is 
stronger,  wiser,  better  than  we  are.  Why  should  we 
complain  or  fear  ? 

After  bidding  them  good-by  I  went  to  Boston  to 
give  the  "  Instruction,"  and  to  meet  the  Girls'  Friendly 
Society,  and  to  see  our  children  and  some  old  parish- 
ioners, and  then  to  Hadley  to  spend  a  quiet  Sunday 
and  rest.  I  came  back  to  New  York  and  we  had 
our  first  business  meeting  of  the  Committee  on  the 
Liturgy.  We  laid  out  our  work  peaceably.  May  the 
Holy  Spirit  save  us  from  ruining  the  Prayer-book,  or 
the  Bible,  for  then  what  would  be  left  ? 

rp      H    S    W  Hadley,  July  20,  '81. 

My  dear  Friend :  —  How  faith  gets  its  confirma- 
tions as  we  go  on  living  our  life  under  the  Hand  of 


THE    ROYAL    LAW  335 

God,    guided,    delivered,    fed,    comforted,  —  we    and 
our    children  that  He  has  given  us. 

You  justify  me  by  your  kind  inquiry  in  speaking 
particularly  of  our  own  family.  George  is  here  with 
his  three  little  boys  and  they  enliven  our  stillness.  I 
want  you  to  see  the  book  on  which  he  has  been  mod- 
estly but  laboriously  engaged  for  several  years,  — 
ever  since  Bishop  Alexander's  superb  Bampton 
Lectures  on  the  Psalms  were  issued,  —  now  just  pub- 
lished,—  "The  Treasury  of  the  Psalter."  ^  I  know  it 
will  interest  you,  for  it  tells  much  of  the  uses  of  the 
Psalms  in  the  old  Church  offices,  and  opens  the 
Scripture  and  glorifies  Christ.  You  speak  of  my  dear 
boy  James.  You  will  observe  how  kindly  and  affec- 
tionately his  work  at  Calvary  was  recognized  by  the 
Convention,  for  I  have  sent  you  the  "  Messenger."  He 
feels,  as  I  do,  that  we  ought  to  have  in  this  country  an 
order  of  Evangelists  corresponding  to  that  of  St. 
John  in  England,  and  not  EngHsh.  For  years  he  has 
felt  himself  called  to  some  such  separated  and  spe- 
cial work  —  a  Community  life.  With  two  others  who 
share  the  same  aspiration  and  consecration,  he  is 
contemplating  the  starting  of  such  a  House  and 
Mission  and  Order  in  New  York.  They  may  begin 
this  Fall.  I  do  not  dissuade  him,  but  don't  you 
see  how  the  very  possibility  of  parting  with  him 
rends  my  heart  .^  He  must  follow  the  highest  lead- 
ing. 

^  The  Treasury  of  the  Psalter :  an  aid  to  the  better  understand- 
ing of  the  Psalms  in  their  use  for  Pubhc  and  Private  Devotion  ; 
compiled  by  the  Rev.  George  P.  Huntington  and  the  Rev.  Henry 
Metealf. 


336  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

Sept.  4,  1881. 
North-Study,  Sunday  afternoon. 

To  HIS  Daughter  in  Germany. 

The  anniversary  of  your  mother's  wedding. 

A  still  air  and  the  brooding  sky  full  of  mystery  and 
comfort,  very  beautiful  and  very  tender. 

My  dearest  Ruth:  —  I  don't  write  you  much,  I 
know;  and  you  know  the  reason.  As  chroniclers  and 
reporters,  and  indeed  as  commentators  too,  your 
mother  and  sister  do  their  work  so  constantly  and  so 
well  that  I  could  really  hardly  mention  one  fact 
without  risk  of  repetition.  And  then  the  days  and 
nights  and  weeks  and  years  of  ceaseless  correspond- 
ence do  make  one  ready  to  accept  a  tolerable  excuse 
for  letting  the  pen  lie.  You  are  very  good  with  your 
letters,  and  I  think  you  have  just  favored  me  with  the 
best  you  have  ever  written,  —  that  from  Zurich,  with 
its  vivid  description  and  entertaining  incidents. 

We  all  suppose  that  it  is  unavoidable  that  you  should 
feel  a  little  heart-sinking  at  sending  A.  off  homew^ard 
and  turning  your  face  eastward  and  going  back  to 
lonely  work  again.  We  would  spare  you  that  if  we 
could.  But  God  does  not .  spare  us  hard  things,  — 
because  He  loves  us,  and  many  things  which  would 
be  hard  and  harder  are  made  easy  by  it.  You  have 
met  this  trial  with  your  usual  courage,  I  am  sure,  — 
and  will  find  your  comfort  and  contentment,  as  we  all 
often  do,  by  plunging  into  tasks  and  keeping  the 
mind  busy. 

Just  now  I  too  am  a  little  homesick,  as  the  summer 
ends,  and  Tuesday  I  must  go  back  alone  to  Syracuse, 
etc.,  for  a  week,  and  afterwards  shall  have  only  about  ten 
days  here.  My  inordinate  love  for  this  place  makes  this 


THE    ROYAL    LAW  337 

about  as  sharp  an  annual  cross  as  I  have  to  take  up; 
but  I  trust  I  am  thankful  for  a  season  so  full  of  bless- 
ings as  this  has  been. 

We  have  all  been  in  the  garden,  and  Mary  gave  me  a 
buttonhole  bouquet  of  pansies  and  a  sprig  of  lemon 
verbena.  I  send  specimens.  Since  then  we  have  been 
out,  since  the  Evening  Service,  looking  at  the  turkeys, 
the  Jerseys,  and  the  kittens. 

It  would  be  better  if  you  were  here.  How  much 
better ! 

Mary  is  singing  at  the  piano.  It  is  too  dark  to  write. 
Love  and  blessing,  dear. 

F.  D.  H. 

Syracuse,  Dec.  19,  '81. 

To  H.  S.  W. 

My  dear  good  Friend :  —  How  pleasant  it  was  to  see 
your  hand  again  and  how  more  than  pleasant  to  read 
your  words  of  affectionate  remembrance.  The  copy 
of  the  "Psalter"  will  reach  you,  no  doubt,  by  mail.  I 
am  glad  you  want  it,  and  I  believe  you  will  prize  it, 
finding  in  it  something  to  study  as  well  as  to  enjoy.  I 
have  watched  the  whole  making  of  it,  in  the  four  or  five 
years  past.  George  is  retiring  in  his  work,  but  thorough 
in  his  scholarship  and  reverent  in  spirit. 

James,  dear  boy,  has  gone  on  his  way,  as  he  believed 
for  years  God  called  him.  With  two  young  Priests  of 
about  his  own  age,  filled  with  the  same  purpose,  both 
of  whom  have  spent  some  time  at  Cowley,  he  has  taken 
an  old,  cheap  house,  in  the  lower  part  of  New  York, 
near  the  East  river,  in  connection  with  a  Mission 
partly  German,  started  by  the  Sisters  of  St.  John  the 
Baptist. 


338  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

There  they  are,  hving  and  working  together,  in  much 
meditation  and  prayer,  seeking  to  prepare,  if  they  may, 
the  way  of  the  Lord,  by  being  Missioners  in  the  Church 
at  large.  They  have  formed  a  new  Order,  — "  The  Order 
of  the  Holy  Cross,"  —  with  Bishop  Potter's  approval, 
and  with  Dr.  Houghton  for  Director.  You  will  imagine 
the  anguish  of  giving  him  up  here,  where  I  wanted  him 
so  much.  But  how  could  I  hold  him  back,  —  knowing 
his  heart,  seeing  what  he  has  done  for  me,  and  fully  be- 
lieving with  him  that  the  Church  sorely  needs  both  a 
standard  of  holy  living  in  the  INlinistry  and  a  leaven  of 
EvangeHzation  supplementing  our  miserable,  halting, 
half-secular  Parochial  system.  I  asked  them  to  come 
here,  but  they  thought  New  York  the  better  place  to 
begin,  —  I  hope  they  may  come  here  yet.  They  live 
in  poverty,  chastity,  and  obedience,  —  with  bare  floors, 
no  tablecloths,  scanty  furniture,  plain  food,  and  seem 
content.  I  went  and  celebrated  with  them  one  morning, 
slept  there  in  a  cot,  and  we  consecrated  the  different 
rooms  with  prayers  from  the  "Priest's  Prayer  Book.'* 
Pray  for  them. 

We  plod  on  here,  as  busy  as  we  can  be,  every  day, 
with  more  calls,  lines  of  labor,  combinations  and  per- 
sonal cares  than  we  have  wealth  and  wisdom.  It  is  not 
unhappy  work  with  all  its  shortcomings. 

A.  came  home  to  us  in  October,  and  assures  us  that 
she  left  R.  really  better.  She  spends  the  year  at  Leip- 
sic,  in  music.  The  passion  for  travel  does  not  develop 
in  me  yet.  A.  reads  to  us  her  notes  in  Spain,  Africa, 
Italy,  France,  the  Tyrol,  and  I  listen  gladly  and  then 
creep  back  thankfully  to  my  own  study. 

Your  loving  ex- Bishop, 

F.  D.  H. 


THE    ROYAL   LAW  339 

Syracuse,  April  14,  1882. 
To  A.  L.  P. 

What  a  full  and  bright  and  blessed  season  it  has  been 
for  the  whole  Church !  Both  Lent  and  Easter  have  great 
power  in  drawing  people  to  the  true  Fold.  Lent  inter- 
ests and  attracts  the  sober  and  devout,  showing  them 
that  our  system  is  scriptural  and  searching.  The  great 
Feasts  draw  the  multitude.  Our  Cause  grows  steadily. 
The  Ritual  extravagance  and  sentimentalism  and  fancy- 
work  have  hindered  it  somewhat,  but  that  check  will 
not  be  permanent,  if  we  are  wise  and  patient,  and  if 
the  bulk  of  our  strong  men  keep  the  via  media,  as  we 
may  reasonably  expect.  The  gain  is  steady. 

Hadley,  Aug.  29,  '82. 

My  dear  James  :  —  Your  Sunday  rain  did  not 
reach  us  here.  It  was,  all  through,  a  dark,  brooding,  still, 
pathetic,  heart-breaking  day,  with  a  constant  expecta- 
tion of  drops  that  did  not  fall.  I  was  at  home  and  most 
of  the  time  out  of  doors.  Probably  nobody  can  know  or 
tell  what  this  dear  old  place  is  to  me,  or  what  share  it 
has  had  and  still  has,  by  its  silent,  touching,  healing 
power,  in  the  moulding  and  preservation  and  consola- 
tion of  my  hfe.  It  is  peopled  with  Hving  companions  at 
every  nook  and  turn,  unseen,  gentle,  solemn,  soothing 
and  gracious.  It  is  next  to  the  Bible  and  the  Church. 
I  read  Ruth's  and  other  glowing  descriptions  of  the 
sublimities  and  glories  of  the  world;  and  then  I  sit  at 
my  North  window,  and  stroll  over  the  farm,  and  thro' 
the  woods,  and  am  satisfied,  and  thank  God. 

This  and  the  character  and  lives  of  my  children, 
and  the  harmony  of  my  Diocese,  are  the  chief  themes 
of  my  personal  thanksgiving. 


340  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

Last  evening  they  all  went  to  Mt.  Warner  by  moon- 
light. Thursday  there  is  a  breaking-up  and  your  mother 
and  I  shall  be  left  alone.  I  think  I  may  take  her  for  a 
day  or  two  to  Warw^ick.  It  seems  there  is  another  boy 
at  Maiden.  I  suppose  they  hoped  for  a  girl,  but  a  new 
human  soul  and  body  are  precious,  any  way. 

Syracuse,  Jan.  19,  1883. 
To  THE  Same. 

The  years  fly,  the  last  always  the  shortest.  More 
and  more  as  I  go  on,  this  life  seems  to  me  only  getting 
ready  to  live.  All  seems  tentative,  provisional,  unsatis- 
factory, and  so  prophesies  another  world,  where  we 
shall  *'see"  not  "as  through  a  glass." 

This  throws  some  light  on  the  present  weakness  and 
pain,  loneliness  and  disappointment.  "What  I  do" 
says  our  Lord,  "  thou  knowest  not  now,  but  thou  shalt 
know  hereafter."  To  comprehend  the  mysteries  of  the 
life  we  are  living  now,  would  provide  an  intellectual 
Heaven  in  itself.  But  we  want  more  than  that.  The 
heart  needs  a  Heaven  too,  and  finds  it  in  Christ. 

In  1880  the  Bishop  asked  his  clergy  to  attend  a  gath- 
ering or  Retreat,  the  first  in  the  diocese,  at  St.  John's 
School,  Manlius,  during  the  absence  of  the  pupils  in 
their  winter  vacation.  In  his  letter  of  invitation  he  said : 
"  Under  a  conviction  that  one  of  the  greatest  needs  of 
our  common  work  is  deeper  and  stronger  religious  life 
in  ourselves,  the  Bishop  invites  the  clergy  to  a  season 
of  retirement,  common  and  private  devotion,  and  spirit- 
ual meditation." 

The  addresses  given  by  him  at  one  of  these  occa- 
sions, in  the  winter  of  1883,  were  afterwards  written 


THE    ROYAL    LAW  341 

out  and  delivered  by  request  before  the  students  of  the 
General  Tlieological  Seminary.  He  wrote  to  his  son 
George:  "If  plain  speaking  will  make  them  do  it, 
the  young  men  ought  to  ponder  what  is  before  them 
and  go  below  the  surface  of  the  profession."  A  paper 
is  preserved  bearing  the  individual  signature  of  each 
student,  expressing  grateful  acknowledgment  for  the 
lectures  and  asking  the  privilege  of  having  them  pub- 
lished for  their  future  use  in  the  ministry.  They  were 
printed  with  the  title,  '*  Personal  Christian  Life  in  the 
Ministry." 

Philadelphia,  Oct.  14,  '83. 
The  General  Convention. 

To  Rev.  George  P.  Huntington. 

It  is  not  to  be  spoken  of  aloud  —  but  I  suppose  I  have 
got  to  write  the  Pastoral  Letter.  It  seems  to  have  been 
so  arranged  within  and  without  the  Committee.  To 
be  the  voice  of  this  Church  to  the  people,  at  this  time, 
is  an  awful  task  and  an  awful  trust.  One  must  be  judged 
of  God  and  criticised  of  men  accordingly.  I  shall  need 
your  prayers. 

In  his  address  to  the  Diocesan  Convention,  delivered 
in  June,  1884,  after  a  recounting  of  the  events  of  the  past 
year's  labors  in  the  Episcopate,  the  consecrations  of 
churches,  ordinations  to  the  sacred  ministry;  and 
dwelHng  upon  the  prosperity  of  St.  Jolm's  and  Keble 
schools,  the  district  organization  of  the  Woman's  Aux- 
iliary to  the  Board  of  Missions,  gratifying  instances  of 
the  cancehng  of  parochial  indebtedness,  renewed  zeal 
in  the  repair  and  adornment  of  church  buildings, 
Bishop  Huntington  emphasized  the  deeper  satisfaction 


342  FREDERIC    DAN   HUNTINGTON 

to  be  felt  in  an  increased  spirituality:  "a  quickened 
sensibility  to  all  devotional  impressions,  a  deeper  long- 
ing for  sacramental  helps  and  ministries.  In  many  Par- 
ishes now,  to  which  I  return  annually,  and  in  more  and 
more  of  them,  I  find  at  least  a  few  disciples  thus  walk- 
ing by  faith,  and  not  the  less  but  the  more  true  to  every 
practical  duty,  for  frequent  communions  with  their 
ascended  Redeemer."  He  continued  with  an  admoni- 
tion to  those  who  would  grudge  to  others  a  spiritual 
sustenance  for  which  they  themselves  hungered  not,  and 
words  of  sympathy  for  the  Shepherd,  "with  none  to 
watch  and  work  with  him,  none  to  wake  early  or  make 
sacrifices  where  he  is  groaning  in  spirit  to  lead  the  way." 
Other  subjects  treated  in  a  grave  and  solemn  tone,  were 
a  better  provision  for  the  clergy;  the  worldliness  often 
manifested  in  the  manner  of  obtaining  parish  support ; 
the  alarming  increase  of  vice  among  neglected  children 
of  both  sexes;  with  a  commendation  of  the  Girls' 
Friendly,  the  White  Cross,  and  Christian  Purity  so- 
cieties. The  lengthy  and  searching  address  closed  with 
the  following  personal  Apologia,  the  only  one  that  we 
find  in  the  whole  course  of  Bishop  Huntington's  Con- 
vention charges,  but  none  the  less  significant  in  the 
characterization  of  a  mind  counted  at  this  period  one 
of  the  greatest  and  most  influential  in  the  American 
Church. 

My  dear  friends,  we  have  been  laboring  to- 
gether, as  Bishop  and  Diocese,  fifteen  years.  Will  you 
allow  me  to  share  with  you  once  for  all  one  burden  to 
which  it  would  be  unmanly  to  allude  very  often  ?  I 
ask  the  Brethren  to  tell  me  candidly  and  freely  if  they 
see  any  way  whereby  I  can  be  more  serviceable  to  them 


THE    ROYAL    lAW  343 

or  their  people.    Every  year  makes  duty  more  impera- 
tive as  it  makes  the  time  shorter. 

All  I  can  give  is  the  attempt.  So  many  attempts 
have  been  unavailing  that  I  dare  promise  nothing 
more.  The  feeble  hope  which  for  a  time  I  indulged 
in  myself  that  my  public  services  would  after  awhile 
become  a  source  of  satisfaction  to  me  or  much  profit 
to  others  is  less  and  less  sanguine.  Those  of  you  who 
know  what  it  is  to  find  the  disappointments  of  the  chief 
aspiration  of  life  growing  keener  as  life  wears  away, 
know  also  that  one  gets  no  powers  to  go  on  at  all, 
without  flinching  or  retreating,  except  in  God  alone. 
I  suppose  others  may  be  able  to  say  with  me  that 
they  scarcely  can  recall  a  day  since  youth  when  they 
would  not  willingly  have  given  the  endeavor  up  alto- 
gether if  it  had  not  seemed  cowardly  or  disobedient. 
What  it  is  of  far  more  moment  for  me  to  consider,  is 
your  advantage  and  the  Master's  Will.  By  whatever 
means  then  I  can  make  up  for  failures  past,  I  am  the 
more  concerned  to  lay  out  for  that  end  all  the  time 
remaining  and  the  strength  God  may  give. 

Two  years  later,  during  the  General  Convention 
held  at  Chicago,  Bishop  Huntington  wrote  to  his 
wife :  — 

"It  does  not  appear  from  the  action  and  spirit  of 
our  House  that  any  legal  permission  will  be  given  to 
Bishops  to  retire  at  the  age  of  seventy.  Personally, 
I  confess  I  should  look  to  a  discharge  from  one  im- 
portant part  of  my  ofiicial  tasks,  three  years  hence, 
with  a  great  sense  of  relief  —  the  preaching.  From 
the  duties  of  counsel,  correspondence,  administration, 
I  do  not  shrink,  painful  as  some  of  them  are.    Nor, 


344  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

with  my  unusual  health  and  endurance,  should  I 
think  it  right  to  ask  exemption  from  the  discomfort 
of  travel.  But  at  the  same  time  the  obligation  of 
public  speech,  the  cost  of  the  delivery  of  sermons 
especially,  are  so  irksome  as  to  be  almost  unendurable. 
I  scarcely  can  preach,  anywhere,  to  any  congregation, 
large  or  small,  cultivated  or  illiterate,  without  thinking 
somebody  else  would  do  more  good  in  my  place,  that 
the  heart  and  consciences  and  lives  of  the  hearers 
might  be  better  benefited,  and  that  those  hearers, 
even  those  who  are  nearest  to  me  and  love  me  most,  are 
really  disappointed.  So  my  usefulness  is  perhaps 
diminished,  and  yet  where  is  the  remedy.'^" 

This  dissatisfaction,  amounting  at  times  to  dis- 
tress, was  one  which  the  subject  himself  connected, 
in  some  moods  of  self-analysis,  with  a  general  reserve 
of  disposition,  —  a  preoccupation  and  absence  of 
mind,  giving  an  impression  of  coldness  which  yet 
melted  instantly  into  pecuhar  gentleness  towards 
any  one  who  came  to  him  for  reUef  or  sympathy. 
These  phases  of  dejection  increased  with  age,  partly, 
no  doubt,  from  physical  exhaustion,  and  because,  with 
the  cessation  of  activity,  the  inherited  strain  of  Puritan 
melancholy  gained  the  ascendency.  The  peculiarity 
showed  itself  in  his  disinchnation  to  preach  at  pubhc 
occasions  and  during  the  meetings  of  the  Triennial 
Convention,  when  visiting  bishops  are  always  sought 
for  by  the  city  parishes.  He  had  all  his  Hfe,  quite 
apart  from  any  personal  feehng,  an  unwillingness  to 
encourage  the  idea  of  a  preacher  being  followed 
after,  through  any  motive  but  a  desire  for  spiritual 
help.  To  a  great  extent,  however,  he  did  feel  himself 
inadequate  to  meet  the  expectations  of  his  audience. 


THE    ROYAL    LAW  345 

Probably,  he  was,  as  he  confessed,  inclined  to  be 
over  fastidious  in  his  idea  of  literary  work,  but  he 
was  also  really  convinced  that  his  words  failed  to 
reach  those  for  whom  they  were  intended,  through 
some  lack  of  force.  One  gets  a  glimpse  of  this  way 
of  looking  at  liis  own  life  and  its  demands  in  a  letter 
written  not  long  after  the  above. 

To  A.  S.  T. 

Age  probably  has  something  to  do  with  it,  but  at 
any  rate  I  find  myself  more  and  more  incHned  to 
subordinate  the  individual  in  relation  to  the  great 
causes,  plans,  and  orderings  of  Providence.  Where 
I  work,  and  what  I  say  and  do,  as  to  its  importance 
and  effect,  seem  to  be  of  diminishing  moment.  Such 
are  the  multitudes,  the  forces,  the  voices,  the  ideas, 
the  movements,  the  competent  persons  in  every  de- 
partment, that  one  is  more  and  more  apt  to  say,  "It 
is  no  matter;  what  I  do,  or  what  I  don't  do,  will  get 
done  and  better  done  than  I  could  do  it."  This  may 
run,  to  be  sure,  to  inaction  and  the  repression  of  enter- 
prise. We  must  keep  pegging  away.  To  work  steadily 
and  hard  at  something  is  clearly  both  duty  and  com- 
fort ;  hut  what  comes  of  it^  —  that  is  another  matter, 
and  hardly  our  concern. 

Syracuse,  April  6,  1885. 
To  A.  L.  P. 

Like  you  I  find  myself  in  no  growing  sympathy  with 
the  extravagancies  of  ceremonial.  Whether  there  is 
false  doctrine  under  them  or  not,  it  is  often  extremely 
difficult  to  find  out.  At  any  rate  it  is  associated  with 
them.  And  the  whole  thing  is  so  palpably  an  imitation, 


346  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

an  exotic,  a  copy,  with  no  natural  roots  in  our  national 
life  or  domestic  training,  that  it  is  extremely  difficult 
to  keep  off  a  sense  of  affectation,  of  unreality.  I  try 
to  do  it,  —  and  to  see  both  sides,  —  to  judge  fairly 
and  largely,  to  make  allowance  for  the  inborn  di- 
versities of  taste  and  sensibiKty,  and  I  believe  that  by 
great  toleration,  great  width,  great  patience,  the 
Body  of  Christ  may  retain  its  Catholic  character  and 
be  true  to  its  Head  —  include  variety  without  losing 
unity,  and  so  gather  in  the  more  souls.  We  can  fall 
back  for  our  comfort  on  the  grand  promise:  "The 
Lord  reigneth"  and  "changeth  not."  And  He  will 
come  again. 

In  the  autumn  of  1885  a  new  edifice  was  erected  for 
St.  Paul's  Church,  Syracuse.  The  Bishop's  relations 
with  the  parish,  and  with  its  rector.  Rev.  Henry  R. 
Lockwood,  had  always  been  close  and  affectionate; 
but  it  was  an  unlooked-for  event  when  a  proposal 
was  made  him  to  take  it  for  his  Cathedral.  As  the 
oldest  and  largest  congregation  in  the  See  City  there 
seemed  much  that  was  appropriate  in  an  arrange- 
ment which  placed  its  beautiful  and  spacious  structure 
at  the  disposal  of  the  diocese  for  solemn  gatherings, 
while  its  chapel  was  a  suitable  place  for  the  daily 
prayers  of  St.  Andrew's  Divinity  School.  Bishop 
Huntington  had  all  his  life  dreamed  of  a  great  city 
church,  with  seats  free  to  all  worshipers,  frequent 
and  inspiring  services,  and  ministrations  to  the  stranger, 
the  lowly,  and  the  outcast.  When  he  had  liis  pastoral 
staff,  a  personal  gift,  affixed  to  the  bishop's  chair  in 
the  chancel  at  St.  Paul's,  he  hoped  much  for  the  future 
and  looked  forward  to  the  time  when  the  sanctuary 


THE    ROYAL    LAW  347 

would  be  consecrated  as  a  people's  church.  Years 
passed  and  he  found  that  the  prospect  of  the  debt 
being  discharged  did  not  brighten,  and  that  such 
changes  as  he  deemed  essential  to  make  it  a  cathedral 
in  any  true  sense  were  not  hkely  to  take  place.  So  he 
quietly  withdrew,  after  notifying  the  wardens  and 
vestry;  but  this  was  not  without  repeated  efforts  to 
remove  the  financial  burden.  In  1889,  the  year  when 
he  completed  the  twentieth  of  his  Episcopate,  he  sug- 
gested that  in  place  of  other  commemoration  a  signal 
method  of  celebrating  that  epoch  in  the  history  of  the 
diocese  would  be  the  lifting  of  the  indebtedness  upon 
St.  Paul's,  with  its  consecration  at  the  annual  Con- 
vention. Thus  he  wrote  to  the  officers  of  the  church, 
assuring  them  that  "anything  within  my  power,  even 
to  a  sacrifice,  would  be  eagerly  done  to  raise  us  up 
into  that  liberty  and  righteousness  in  the  sight  of 
God  and  men." 

It  has  been  already  said  that,  however  much  Bishop 
Huntington's  heart  and  longing  aspiration  turned  to 
the  opportunities  of  a  city  parish,  there  was  no  place 
where  his  office  as  Chief  Pastor  gave  him  more  satis- 
faction than  in  his  ministration  to  the  small  flocks 
scattered  through  the  remote  villages  of  his  charge. 
One  who  belonged  to  such  a  humble  but  earnest 
household  of  the  faith  recalls  the  unlooked-for  plea- 
sure which  not  infrequently  cheered  the  worshipers, 
when,  instead  of  the  expected  lay-reader  or  casual 
supply,  the  Bishop  himself  would  drive  up  on  a  Sun- 
day morning,  coming  in  his  own  conveyance  across 
the  hills. 

Within  the  round  of  stations  under  the  care  of  the 
Associate  Mission  in  Syracuse,  he  always  stood  ready 


348  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

to  fill  a  vacancy,  and,  especially  at  Easter  and  other 
great  feasts,  to  celebrate  the  Eucharist.  It  was  this 
encouragement  of  his  personal  presence,  sometimes 
just  in  a  moment  of  doubt  or  despair,  that  kept  alive 
the  patience  and  hope  of  the  few  faithful  communi- 
cants. 

AVhile  Frederic  Huntington  was  rector  of  Emman- 
uel Church,  four  of  his  near  kindred  passed  aw^ay :  the 
father,  two  brothers,  Charles  and  Theophilus,  and  the 
eldest  sister,  Mrs.  Fisher,  all  leaving  families  and 
descendants.  The  next  eldest,  William,  after  minister- 
ing in  the  Unitarian  denomination,  settled  on  a  farm 
in  Wisconsin,  w^here  his  children  had  their  early  edu- 
cation. Late  in  his  life  he  entered  the  Episcopal 
Church,  and  became  a  missionary  in  South  Dakota, 
receiving  Deacon's  Orders  from  the  hands  of  his 
youngest  brother,  Bishop  Huntington.  He  closed  a 
happy  old  age,  w  ith  sons  and  a  daughter  near  him,  at 
Amherst,  Massachusetts.  The  last  surviving  brother, 
Theodore,  had  spent  his  days  on  or  near  the  an- 
cestral estate  at  Hadley,  but  finally  removed  to  liis 
wife's  birthplace  in  Connecticut,  where  he  died. 

Eastford,  Nov.  17,  '85. 

To  A.  D.  P. 

We  have  just  come  back  from  the  place  where,  in 
the  bright  sunshine  of  an  Indian  summer  afternoon, 
and  near  a  running  stream  of  clear  water,  w^e  have 
laid  Theodore's  dear  body.  His  fife  ended  after  a 
decline  almost  without  pain,  and  so  gradual  that  it 
was  difiicult  to  tell  when  he  began  to  die.  There  was 
no  cloud  on  his  faith  and  no  fear  of  the  great  change. 
He  waited  for  it  in  the  gentle  patience  and  holy  hope 


THE   ROYAL    LAW  •  349 

that  we  have  seen  in  him  through  all  his  quiet  and 
unspotted  life. 

You  see  that  I  am  left  alone,  the  last  of  the  eleven. 
God  seems  to  see  that  it  needs  more  time  to  prepare 
me  than  it  does  the  rest  of  them  for  the  Home  *'  from 
which  they  go  no  more  out." 

Sykacuse,  Dec.  22,  '85. 
To  Rev.  George  Huntington. 

Pilgrims'  Day,  —  but  the  Apostles  are  older  than 
the  Pilgrims. 

We  all  wish  you  a  bright  Feast,  my  dear  George,  at 
the  Holy  Night  and  the  Great  Birthday.  The  box  I 
think  is  on  its  way.  The  aunts  and  grandmother  get  a 
great  deal  of  gentle  excitement  and  wholesome  exercise 
out  of  the  nephews  and  grandsons.  I  am  quite  discour- 
aged by  their  superior  zeal,  and  shrink  out  of  the  race, 
contenting  myself  with  a  message  of  love  and  imaginary 
kisses  and  a  cheque  for  you.  I  wish  I  could  look  in 
on  your  circle  and  see  the  fun  and  hear  the  hum. 

The  New  York  Mission  seems  to  be  another  great 
step  forward  in  Church-life.  If  the  life  could  only 
be  deepened  too ! 

The  Cathedral  has  been  an  unexpected  tho'  greatly 
desired  gift.  The  Resolutions  were  made  large  enough 
to  give  me  all  the  Hberty  I  shall  need,  I  think.  There 
is  general  cordiality.  Some  things  are  not  as  they 
should  be,  —  as  to  sittings,  the  debt,  but  there  is  an 
opportunity  for  much  to  be  done,  —  new  duties,  —  a 
new  accountability,  so  I  need  to  be  prayed  for. 

To-morrow  I  go  to  the  Funeral  of  Mr.  Pierpont, 
our  chief  benefactor.  How  I  shall  miss  him!  and 
who  will  take  his  place  .^    His   money  and  friendship 


350  FKEDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

have  carried  me  through  a  good  many  hard  places. 
The  young  men  don't  seem  to  be  quite  such  Church- 
men as  their  fathers. 

With  much  love  and  blessing  for  each  and  all, 

Affectionately, 
Your  Father. 

Syracuse,  Feb.  6,  '86. 
To  A  Friend  in  trouble. 

Let  me  pity  your  mother-heart.  I  can  go  with  you, 
and  for  you,  to  Him  who  knows  all  and  with  infinite 
tenderness  sees  the  past,  the  present,  the  future. 

Wait  patiently  for  Him!  How  well  I  remember 
Louise  Carey  singing  those  four  words  in  the  choir  of 
"Emmanuel"  in  Boston,  repeating  them  till  there 
was  no  more  room  for  any  other  thought  in  my  soul, 
with  her  wonderful,  pleading  intonation ! 

It  is  late  Saturday  night.  The  day,  the  week,  and 
many  days,  have  been  full  of  cares  and  anxieties. 
But,  I  believe  I  am  ready  for  to-morrow.  I  wish  I 
could  have  your  prevailing  prayers  for  my  sermon  at 
the  "  Cathedral  "  —  where  there  is  so  much  to  be  done 
—  on  the  text,  "Whose  fan  is  in  His  Hand." 

This  is  a  giddy  city,  so  much  chaff,  so  little  wheat. 
We  are  beginning  to  prepare  for  a  general,  united 
Mission  of  all  the  Churches,  with  Fr.  Field  from  St. 
Clement's,  for  Missioner.  You  will  intercede  for  him, 
and  us,  I  know. 

We  have  never  had  better  health  in  Syracuse,  than 
here  on  the  hill,  this  winter. 

In  October,  1886,  while  Bishop  Huntington  was 
absent   at   the  General  Convention   in    Chicago,  his 


THE    ROYAL    LAW  351 

household  removed  to  Walnut  Place.  This  was  due  to 
Judge  Comstock  and  his  son,  who  by  an  exchange  of 
the  property  on  James  Street,  which  had  been  occupied 
as  an  episcopal  residence,  were  enabled  to  erect  for 
the  use  of  the  Bishop  and  his  family  a  new  dwelling 
unusually  commodious  and  cheerful,  and  in  a  charming 
situation.  One  pleasant  feature  was  the  near  prox- 
imity of  the  Hospital  of  the  Good  Shepherd.  For  the 
remainder  of  his  life  it  was  the  Bishop's  great  interest, 
not  only  as  the  president  of  the  institution,  but  as 
its  friend  and  pastor,  to  visit  it  frequently,  to  hold 
services,  on  feast  days  and  Sundays,  for  the  patients 
and  nurses,  and  to  welcome  the  superintendent  and 
members  of  the  Training  School  to  his  own  home. 

Syracuse,  Oct.  28,  '86. 

My  dear  George: — The  Convention  was  unsatis- 
factory chiefly  on  negative  grounds,  —  for  what  it 
lacked.  It  lacked  large  and  vital  measures,  a  genial, 
warm  and  brotherly  spirit,  within  itself,  the  devotional 
relatively  to  the  ecclesiastical  and  forensic  element, 
and  a  wise  economy  of  time  and  speech.  I  was  tired 
of  the  heat  and  noise,  and  conceiving  my  duty  to  be 
practically  done,  left  Saturday,  and  spent  Sunday  in 
Buffalo  and  Rochester  with  friends,  and  in  worship, 
and  got  home  Monday  noon.  Since  that  time  I  have 
been  hard  at  work  trying  to  get  kosmos  out  of  chaos 
in  my  mass  of  papers  and  not  without  success.  Your 
mother  and  sisters  have  benevolently  saved  me 
much  bother  and  discomfort.  We  like  the  house 
altogether.  I  want  you  to  see  my  study,  and  the  rest 
of  it. 

We  are  quite  in  the  country. 


352  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

In  1886  Bishop  Huntington  wrote  to  a  friend 
traveling  in  Europe:  — 

"  Every  day  you  are  seeing  things  which,  no  doubt, 
I  should  be  glad  to  see  and  be  the  wiser  for  seeing. 
But  I  must  wait  for  such  visions  and  revelations  as  it 
may  please  the  Lord  of  earth  and  Heaven,  sea  and  sky, 
to  give  me  hereafter.  It  is  not  probable  now  that  I 
shall  ever  cross  the  water.  Four  things  have  always 
stood  in  the  way:  good  health,  much  work,  little 
money,  and  dear  old  Hadley.  So  I  have  been  happy 
and  content,  in  the  native  land,  with  no  *  palaces,' 
not  many  antiquities,  and  hardly  a  Cathedral." 

Hadley,  July,  '88. 

Mt.  Holtoke  to  the  Sea. 

A  cordial  and  loving  greeting  from  among  the  elms 
and  orioles,  the  roses  and  clover-blossoms,  meadows 
and  orchards,  Jersey  cattle  and  St.  Bernard  dogs,  the 
splendors  of  brilliant  days  and  the  silences  of  deep 
cool  nights. 

Syracuse,  Dec.  12,  '88. 
There  has  been  a  Thanksgiving  and,  no  doubt,  you, 
like  us,  have  found  much  to  be  grateful  for,  tho'  our 
Feast,  perhaps  like  yours,  was  stiller  than  in  the  past 
times.  So  evening  comes  in  silence  and  shade  together. 
But  I  don't  think  I  want  to  go  back.  Do  you  ?  Let  us 
look  rather  to  what  is  to  come. 

Long  before  Frederic  Huntington  delivered  the 
Graham  Lectures  on  "Divine  Aspects  of  Human 
Society,"  as  a  youth  going  out  from  the  Theological 
School  to  his  first  city  parish,  and  later  as  teacher  of 


THE    ROYAL    LAW  353 

Christian  morals  at  Harvard,  his  interests  had  been 
deeply  engaged  in  questions  relating  to  the  brother- 
hood of  man.  A  closer  attention  to  the  economic 
side  of  the  problems  involved  in  present  social  con- 
ditions came  about  partly  through  his  son,  Father 
Huntington,  who  was  for  several  years  a  public  ad- 
vocate of  the  single-tax  principles,  and  in  close  touch 
with  societies  of  wage-earners,  establishing,  with  a 
few  of  the  clergy  and  laity,  the  Church  Association  in 
the  Interests  of  Labor,  known  familiarly  as  C.  A.  I.  L. 
Of  this  Bishop  Huntington  was  president  until  his 
death,  and  also  of  the  Christian  Social  Union.  In  an 
address  before  the  Evangelical  Education  Society  the 
Bishop  replied  to  the  question,  "What  effort  should 
the  Clergy  make  to  reconcile  the  conflict  between 
capital  and  labor,  or  to  secure  the  appHcation  of  the 
golden  rule  to  business  and  social  life  ?  " 
His  opening  words  were  as  follows:  — 
"Whatever  the  perplexity  of  the  problem,  the 
King's  Messenger  must  look,  first,  for  the  rule  of  his 
ambassadorship,  to  the  law  of  the  lips  and  life  of  this 
King.  At  any  period,  in  any  land,  Christianity  has 
found  it  impossible  not  to  conceive  of  Christ  on  earth 
as  belonging  to  the  unprivileged,  the  plain-living  and 
hard-working  people.  At  any  time,  anywhere,  the 
Christian  Church,  whatever  its  abuses,  would  have 
been  shocked  to  see  its  Master  and  Saviour  represented 
as  associated  by  choice,  by  habit,  by  taste,  if  we  may 
use  that  word,  with  the  best-housed,  best-fed,  best- 
dressed  families;  with  the  luxurious  and  affluent, 
the  men  of  privilege,  and  of  the  power  of  property. 
It  is  profoundly  significant.  To  know  where  our 
Lord  was  born,  how  He  lived,  and  what  His  manners 


354  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

and  associations,  how  He  invariably  treated  social 
distinctions,  on  what  social  class  He  pronounced 
benedictions,  never  failing  to  be  gracious  and  encour- 
aging to  them,  and  to  what  class  He  said,  '  Woe  unto 
you,'  and  at  the  hands  of  what  class  He  was  crucified, 
—  this  must  go  far  to  determine  the  question  we  have 
before  us  of  the  clergy,  as  it  is  worded:  that  is, how  to 
'secure  the  application  of  the  Golden  Rule  to  busi- 
ness and  social  life,'  —  no  matter,  as  I  take  it,  to 
whom  we  minister,  on  whose  support  we  depend  for  a 
living,  or  with  what  degree  of  favor  we  may  be  re- 
ceived." 

In  the  course  of  his  address  the  speaker  said: 
"Doubtless  better  modes  of  material  management 
will  be  found  out;  they  are  slowly  getting  found  out. 
But  far  deeper  down  in  the  depths  of  the  human  soul, 
and  in  the  spirit  of  God,  and  in  the  Mediator's  cross 
of  self-sacrifice,  lies  the  secret  of  the  only  lasting 
harmony.  Whatever  kind  of  house  he  lives  in,  what- 
ever he  eats  or  wears  or  lays  up  and  counts,  if  man  is 
loving  and  just  to  his  fellow  man  he  will  walk  in  the 
light  and  so  walk  safely  and  at  large;  if  he  hates  his 
fellow  man  he  will  walk  bHndly,  first  to  wrong  and 
finally  to  wretchedness.  A  society  that  has  all  its 
property  at  the  top  and  all  its  discontent  at  the  bottom 
will  topple  over  into  ruin.  We  may  decry  and  deplore 
turmoil  and  violence,  strikes  and  lockouts,  hung-up 
wheels  of  factories,  and  stalled  railway  trains  of  pas- 
sengers and  freight;  we  must  deplore  them.  But  they 
are  an  inevitable  satire  on  a  nation  or  community 
where  passengers  themselves  are  held  only  as  so  much 
baggage,  where  w^orkmen  are  reckoned  part  of  the 
machine,  where  the  Declaration  of  Independence  is 


THE    ROYAL    LAW  355 

in  everybody's  hands  but  not  in  the  consciences  or 
hearts  of  legislators  and  manufacturers  and  million- 
aires. At  the  core  of  all  these  guilty  troubles  is  one 
malignant  disease  —  contempt  of  what  the  brother- 
man  is,  coveting  and  worshiping  of  what  he  has.  Put 
the  man  where  you  please,  put  him  high  or  put  him 
low,  he  cannot  live  —  really  live  —  by  bread  alone. 
By  the  'Word  of  God'  he  shall  live." 

And  again  from  his  lips  came  stem  denunciation  of 
social  iniquities:  "Will  the  fire  scorch  the  Hebrew 
monopolists  only  ?  Will  it  skip  the  pews  of  the  nine- 
teenth century  capitaHsts,  owners  of  foul  sweating- 
shops,  unsanitary  tenements,  selfishly  managed  mines, 
factories  and  railways,  because  the  warnings  have 
rung  down  through  eighteen  centuries  ?  There  are 
inequalities  that  the  Almighty  permits;  there  are 
other  inequalities  which  man  makes  and  God  abhors 
and  rebukes.  One  of  these  must  be  that  where  a 
privileged,  shrewd,  and  importunate  employer  makes 
miseries  along  with  his  millions.  There  are  compe- 
titions fair  and  scrupulous,  there  are  others  as  despi- 
cable as  they  are  despotic." 

It  would  be  difficult  to  estimate  the  extent  to  which 
Bishop  Huntington  gave  the  influence  of  his  intellectual 
ability  in  the  cause  of  what  has  been  broadly  defined  as 
Christian  socialism.  His  utterances  on  that  subject, 
publications  in  the  daily  press,  and  in  the  church 
newspapers,  articles  in  magazines,  sermons,  platform 
speeches,  editorials  in  the  "  Gospel  Messenger,  "  charges 
to  the  clergy,  pastorals  and  Convention  addresses, — all 
bore  witness  to  his  deep  concern  for  the  application  of 
Christian  principles  in  the  establishment  of  right  rela- 
tions between  workers  and  employers,  and  of  higher 


356  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

standards  in  legislation  and  business.  The  titles  of 
some  of  these  writings  are:  "Present  Aspect  of  the 
Church  Social  Union,"  delivered  by  its  President  at 
Minneapolis,  in  1895 ;  "  The  Master- Workman :  a  Labor 
Day  Discourse;"  "Causes  of  Social  Discontent,"  in 
the  "Forum  "  of  September,  1888;  "Social  Problems 
and  the  Church,"  in  the  "Forum"  of  October,  1895; 
"Applied  Christianity  the  True  Socialism,"  in  the 
"Homiletic  Review,"  April,  1890;  "The  Church  and 
the  Labor  World,"  in  the  "  Iron  Cross; "  "  Moral  Cow- 
ardice :  a  Pastoral  Letter  to  the  Clergy  and  Laity  of 
Central  New  York." 

Among  shorter  contributions  are:  "The  Cause  and 
Losses  of  Strikes ; "  "The  Relations  of  Employer  and 
Employed;"  "The  Labor  Troubles;"  "The  Abuse 
of  the  Money  Power;  "  "Class  Slavery;  "  "  The  Pre- 
vious Question  in  Labor  Reform ; "  "  The  Social 
Submergence." 

Of  the  widespread  effect  upon  the  thought  of  the  day 
by  his  championship  of  a  then  unpopular  cause,  no 
better  proof  can  be  given  than  in  the  following  letter 
found  among  the  Bishop's  papers :  — 

My  honored  Brother  :  —  You  are  an  old  man  and 
may  lay  down  life's  burdens  which  you  have  so  nobly 
borne,  and  I  am  a  young  man,  a  Baptist  minister,  with 
I  trust  many  years  of  toil  ahead ;  but  I  want,  though  a 
stranger,  to  thank  you  for  the  great  service  which  you 
did  me  through  your  articles  on  the  Church  and  the 
social  problem  a  few  years  ago.  They  opened  my  eyes. 
They  led  me  to  enlist  in  the  great  army  of  reform  to 
which  you  belong,  and  I  want  to  tell  you  now  that  as 
you  lay  down  your  weapons  I  am  one  of  the  hundreds 


THE    ROYAL    LAW  357 

and  thousands  of  young  men  all  over  this  country  who 
are  taking  up  those  weapons  of  truth  and  who  trust  we 
shall  see  full  victory. 

Nov.  24,  1889. 

To  Rev.  James  Huntington. 

Did  you  notice  that  the  Scriptures  yesterday,  espe- 
cially the  Epistle,  Gospel,  and  Old  Testament  lessons, 
contemplate  a  regenerate  and  righteous  Society,  a 
public  and  Social  Salvation,  a  "dehghtsome  land," 
"their  own  land,"  judgment  and  justice  on  the  earth  ? 
Christ  is  Feeder  as  well  as  King, — a  Shepherd  King. 
The  Bread  eaten,  the  sacrificial  Food,  is  endlessly  and 
boundlessly  multiplied. 

Bishop  Huntington  was  requested  by  Miss  Harri- 
ette  Keyser,  the  Secretary  of  C.  A.  I.  L.,  to  furnish  a 
letter  to  be  used  for  organization  work,  and  sent  the 
following :  — 

"  The  constantly  advancing  movement  of  the  new 
demands  of  the  Kingdom  of  God,  as  the  Divine  agency 
of  social  righteousness  among  men,  specially  served  by 
our  Association,  are  hardly  less  striking  than  the  per- 
manence of  its  principles.  The  signs  multiply,  and  our 
faith  grows  accordingly,  that  C.  A.  I.  L.  was  formed, 
with  its  clerical  and  lay  membership,  at  the  right  time, 
with  the  right  aims.  What  other  recognized  organiza- 
tion within  the  Church  is  so  explicitly  and  resolutely 
given  to  this  service  "^  Every  fresh  phase  in  the  rapidly 
shifting  course  of  poHtical  and  industrial  affairs  chal- 
lenges the  solemn  attention  of  studious  and  patriotic 
men,  citizens  and  scholars,  prophets  and  priests.  With 
their  sympathy  and  practical  assistance,  we  hope  to 


358  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

accomplish,  in  the  coming  season,  more  than  here- 
tofore, by  lectures,  discussions,  publications,  and 
sermons  for  the  cause  of  justice,  order,  equity,  peace 
and  good-will." 

In  a  private  letter  he  said :  — 

"  I  try,  in  my  many  preachments,  to  put  in  something 
for  C.  A.  I.  L.  and  the  Cause." 

In  a  sketch  of  the  varied  duties  of  the  Episcopate, 
at  one  of  the  Convention  addresses  to  the  Central 
New  York  Diocese,  its  head  spoke  rather  explicitly  of 
the  claims  upon  a  bishop's  time  and  strength:  "Nearly 
one  half  of  his  waking  hours,  running  generally  into 
the  night,  must  be  occupied  with  correspondence 
wherever  he  may  be.  It  would  be  well-nigh  impossible 
to  describe  the  range  of  his  daily  mail.  Thinking  it 
might  be  entertaining,  if  not  instructive,  I  have  just 
attempted  to  make  out  a  classification  of  this  epistolary 
variety  by  specifying  species  only,  but  after  covering 
two  foolscap  pages  with  headings  I  gave  it  up  —  the 
topics  stretching  all  the  way  from  situations  for  shop- 
boys  and  servant-maids  to  inquiries  whether  the 
Christian  Religion  will  probably  survive  the  second 
edition  of  Lux  Mundi,  and  whether  Leo  XIII  will  be 
the  last  Pope.  This  tax  is  imposed,  I  suppose,  by  the 
circumstance  that  a  Bishop  is  a  person  easily  identified 
and  reached,  holding  an  oflSce  thought  to  be  serviceable, 
in  contact  with  nearly  all  human  conditions,  and  not 
very  likely  to  resent  almost  any  kind  of  approach. 
With  respect  to  this  incessant  and  copious  torrent  of 
requests  and  questions,  little  and  great,  according  to 
my  conception  of  a  true  Shepherd  of  the  Fold  of  Christ, 
a  Bishop  ought  to  hold  himself  ready  to  answer,  re- 
spectfully and  cheerfully,  even  the  least  sensible  of 


THE    ROYAL    LAW  359 

them  all,  if  he  is  appealed  to  in  the  name  of  our  patient 
and  infinitely  forbearing  Master.  They  come  from 
one  or  another  child  of  God  somewhere  suffering, 
from  some  human  need  such  as  any  servant  of  the 
Master,  whose  mercy  knows  no  bounds  of  position 
or  breeding  or  knowledge,  would  gladly  relieve,  even 
where  the  prospect  is  dim." 

In  addition  to  the  many  calls  naturally  coming,  as 
the  Bishop  said,  to  a  man  in  his  position,  there  were 
seekers  especially  drawn  to  himself  through  a  know- 
ledge of  his  own  religious  experience.  The  following 
letters  are  examples  of  the  positiveness  of  his  replies. 

To  AN  Inquirer. 

The  Apostles*  Creed  is  to  be  believed  and  held  by  a 
disciple  in  the  Church  Catholic,  —  as  you  see  in  the 
Office  of  Baptism,  in  the  Prayer-book,  where  those 
who  are  made  members  of  Christ  by  the  initiatory 
Sacrament  declare  the  rule  of  Faith,  Obedience  and 
Renunciation.  Confirmation  completes  the  baptismal 
consecration  by  an  individual  choice.  It  adds  no  new 
article  of  belief,  but  settles,  "confirms,"  establishes 
the  believer  and  gives  him  a  special  grace  to  go  for- 
ward and  grow  in  goodness. 

The  thirty-nine  articles  are  Provincial,  a  solemn 
statement  of  a  National  Church  or  two,  in  view  of  a 
temporary  emergency,  largely  negative,  a  guide  to 
the  Clergy,  not  binding  on  the  laity. 

If  you  wish  to  be  a  disciple  of  Christ,  trust  Him 
as  your  Saviour,  worship  according  to  the  Book  of 
Common  Prayer,  and  can  say  the  Apostles'  Creed 
ex  animo,  you  are  entitled  to  confirmation  and  had 
better  receive  it. 


360  FREDERIC    DAN   HUNTINGTON 

In  coming  to  me  you  come  to  a  brother-soul  that  has 
had  some  experience  in  the  "outcast"  business  and 
has  tasted  of  its  bitterness,  —  but  for  t«^enty-one 
years,  dating  back  to  the  feast  of  the  Annunciation, 
has  known  such  unbroken  peace  within,  in  the  doc- 
trine and  worship  of  this  Church,  that  the  conflicts 
are  well-nigh  forgotten.  Before  that  time  I  was  fa- 
miliar with  most  forms  of  doubt  and  denial,  by  per- 
sonal contact. 

In  my  judgment  this  Church — which  is  a  School 
as  well  as  a  Home  —  is  the  natural  place  of  those  who 
find  it  not  altogether  easy  to  reconcile  an  intellec- 
tual and  a  spiritual  habit.  It  would  probably  help 
you  to  read  for  awhile  the  works  of  thinkers  and 
students  who  have  rested  in  the  Apostolic  Confes- 
sion. 

From  a  letter  to  a  Minister  lately  Unitarian. 

I  do  not  myself  believe  that  the  obstacles  to  bridg- 
ing the  gap  between  the  Church  and  a  large  number 
of  devout  and  thoughtful  people  in  each  of  the  Chris- 
tian sects  are  so  desperate  or  insuperable  as  they  are 
made  to  appear.  In  order  to  do  it  we  want  men  of 
some  thinking  power,  some  learning,  some  largeness 
of  sympathy,  who  either  by  their  experience  or  their 
insight  are  capable  of  looking  on  both  sides  at  once. 
Those  who  have  lived  on  both  sides  ought  to  be 
thereby  fitted  for  so  noble  a  service. 

Coming  now  to  what  you  want  to  find  out :  the  prob- 
ability of  your  feeling  at  home  in  our  Communion 
and  being  happy  and  useful  in  our  Ministry  would 
depend  in  part  on  your  hearty  acceptance  of  the 
Church-system  as  I  have  endeavored  to  present  it. 


THE    ROYAL    LAW  361 

Holding  it  you  would  find  your  course  easy,  your 
surroundings  congenial,  and  the  general  intellectual 
and  ecclesiastical  relations  satisfactory,  allowing  for 
the  unavoidable  trials  which  belong  to  a  cross-bearing 
profession  everywhere.  With  Ministers  coming  from 
without,  the  crux  is  apt  to  be  the  Apostolic  Succession, 
which,  however,  is  not  a  speculative  dogma  but  a  fact, 
determinable  largely  by  arithmetic,  each  Bishop 
being  consecrated  by  three  Bishops,  all  the  Clergy 
being  ordained  by  Bishops,  and  Christ  having  pro- 
mised to  be  with  the  Apostles  to  the  end  of  the  world. 
In  the  New  Testament  there  is  no  instance  of  an 
ordination  without  a  chief  minister  or  Apostle.  A  full 
and  cordial  assent  on  points  like  this  has  much  to  do 
with  contented  and  effective  work  afterwards.  As  to 
liberty,  you  need  not  be  afraid  of  being  cramped,  I 
think.  The  Bishops  respect  honest  convictions  and 
personal  independence,  guarded  by  reasonable  limits. 
It  appears  to  be  the  natural  effect  of  living  in  the  Church 
to  increase  churchly  sentiment. 

Three  convictions  brought  me  from  where  I  was  to 
where  I  am:  viz.  that  Christianity  cannot  be  ac- 
counted for  on  the  Unitarian  theory  of  Christ;  that 
the  Christian  heart  needs  both  consolations  and 
inspirations  which  Unitarianism,  even  in  Channing 
and  Martineau,  does  not  supply;  and  that  there  can 
be  no  Church  without  organization,  nor  any  authori- 
tative or  abiding  organization,  except  that  of  our 
Lord  and  His  Apostles  and  the  Primitive  Age.  Since 
coming  to  these  conclusions  and  acting  on  them, 
every  day  has  confirmed  my  confidence,  adding, 
without  a  shadow  of  doubt  or  regret,  to  my  gratitude 
and  joy  that  God  led  me  as  He  did. 


362  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

To  One  in  perplexity  and  discouragement. 

The  fact  that  your  difficulty  is  so  nearly  what  it  was 
twelve  years  ago  or  more  seems,  of  itself,  to  have  some 
signification,  seeing  that  Holy  Scripture,  the  best 
Christian  literature,  wise  instruction,  reason,  con- 
science, the  Church,  and  loving  intercessions,  have  all 
been  at  hand  to  aid  and  comfort  you. 

May  it  not  mean  that  you  have  been  looking  too 
much,  i.  e,  too  exclusively,  i.  e.  one-sidedly,  in  a  par- 
ticular direction  ?  May  you  not  have  regarded  your 
personal  religion  too  much  as  a  'peculiar  state  of  the 
sensibilities,  a  lively  emotion,  a  vivid  feeling  of  your 
Lord's  presence  and  favor,  in  fact  a  condition  of 
satisfaction,  —  and  too  little  as  a  plain,  straightforward 
doing,  day  by  day,  of  God's  will  in  the  duties  of  your 
ordinary  life,  and  in  an  obedient,  childlike  spirit? 
There  is  a  great  difference.  It  is  the  difference  between 
a  practical  and  a  testimonial  piety;  between  a  self- 
absorbed  introspection  and  a  healthy  discipleship.  I 
do  not  mean  that  you  are  inactive  or  selfish ;  far  from 
it;  but  that  you  are  striving  and  struggling  after  a 
frame  which  you  believe  to  be  the  highest  type  of  the 
Christian  life,  instead  of  being  content  to  do  simply 
and  cheerfully  those  things  which  lie  in  the  path 
Providence  has  marked  out  for  you.  The  Church  asks 
of  her  children  the  latter  course  as  the  way  to  Heaven. 
You  will  find  your  Saviour  there,  in  that  path,  or 
nowhere.  I  do  not  believe  you  have  such  faults  as 
need  keep  you  restless  and  wretched.  At  any  rate, 
whatever  they  are,  God,  for  His  Son's  sake,  has  for- 
given them  all.  You  are  not  a  daughter  of  the  bond- 
woman, but  of  the  free,  and  ought  to  go  on  your  way 
rejoicing ! 


THE    ROYAL    LAW  363 

To  A  Clergyman. 

There  is  a  difference  of  moods,  with  terms  and 
periods  in  the  spiritual  man.  It  cannot  be  altogether 
explained  or  accounted  for,  nor  do  we  always  know 
how  far  it  may  be  due  to  physical,  dietetic,  external 
causes.  Their  existence  proves  the  value  and  the 
necessity  of  a  regular  religious  regimen,  or  devotional 
observances,  even  when  the  interest  subsides,  and  the 
sensibility  is  dulled.  The  framework  of  habit  is  a 
safeguard  and  there  are  ups  and  downs,  seasons  of 
refreshment  and  liberty.  I  pray  when  I  do  not  feel 
like  praying.  God  knows  all  about  it,  and  has  issued 
his  orders  with  a  full  and  gracious  knowledge  of  my 
nature  and  needs. 

Moreover,  there  are  apparently  certain  tides  or 
currents,  on  a  wider  scale,  in  the  community,  in  the 
general  religious  life,  and  they  are  not  altogether  to 
be  accounted  for.  So  far  as  I  can  judge,  if  they  are 
under  law,  the  law  is  obscure.  At  present,  however,  the 
unprecedented  eagerness  of  enterprise,  and  rush  of 
events,  and  intermixture  of  public  affairs,  will  go  far 
to  explain  what  looks  like  dryness,  indifference, 
worldliness.  The  movement  is  circular,  or  spiral,  and 
we  can  hope  that,  as  in  the  past,  a  time  of  spiritual 
awakening  may  come  round.  We  have  missionary 
zeal ;  we  want  an  age  of  piety  and  prayer.  Meantime 
individual  obligation  is  clear  enough.  Surely  we  may 
trust  that  our  apathy  will  be  broken  up  in  God's  own 
time  and  way,  and  a  better  than  mediaeval  "age  of 
faith"  come  in  by  a  new  reformation. 

As  to  our  testimony,  or  witness-bearing  to  others, 
the  difficulties  are  certainly  great.  Our  Lord  did  not 
fully  state  how  we  are  to  let  our  "  light  shine,"  or  in- 


364  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

terpret  his  commission  to  proclaim  the  Gospel.  We 
can  watch  for  opportunities.  Few  words  may  be  as 
effective  as  long  speeches,  and  single  phrases  as  elabo- 
rate exhortations  or  appeals.  Life,  the  face,  the  voices, 
silence,  teach  and  preach. 

We  live  by  the  day  —  one  day  at  a  time.  Does  this 
not  loosen  the  problems,  and  bid  us  be  at  peace, 
though  we  may  not  always  be  of  good  cheer  ? 


CHAPTER   XI 


THE    ROAD    UPHILL 


"By  this  time  the  pilgrims  had  a  desire  to  go  forward,  so  they 
walked  together  towards  the  end  of  the  mountains.  Then  said  the 
shepherds  one  to  another,  Let  us  here  show  the  pilgrims  the  gate  of  the 
Celestial  City." 

Syracuse,  May  29,  '89. 
To  M.  R.  H. 

I  find  it  very  easy  to  be  seventy  years  old,  now 
that  I  have  tried  it.  God's  goodness  and  human  kind- 
ness make  it  easy.  Perhaps  you  will  like  to  hear  that 
I  have  just  as  much  strength  for  labor  and  endurance 
as  I  had  twenty  or  thirty  years  ago,  —  in  fact,  so  far 
as  I  can  see,  as  much  as  I  ever  had.  This  cannot  last 
always. 

Everything  that  I  hear  about  Cambridge  and 
Boston  interests  me.  There  is  much  that  I  do  not 
hear.  We  all  work  here  and  rest  little.  There  is  not 
much  time  to  rest.  The  world  requires  intense  and 
incessant  action,  if  it  is  to  be  made  better  of  its  bad- 
ness. 

Your  views  of  the  great  Hereafter  suit  me  exactly. 
You  and  I  have  made  a  pleasant  beginning,  but  it  is 
only  that.  There  may  be  no  birthdays  in  heaven,  or 
lilies  of  the  valley;  but  then  there  will  be  no  growing 
old  and  no  sad  partings. 

On  the  feast  of  the  Annunciation,  the  beginning  of 
a  letter  to  A.  L.  P.  recalls  that,  "  It  is  the  anniversary 


fI66  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

of  that  blessed  day  in  1860  when  H.  and  Geo.  and  A. 
went  with  me  to  Christ  Church,  Cambridge,  in  the 
evening,  to  be  confirmed.  We  were  going  out  then  from 
a  place  of  unsatisfying  privileges,  comfort  and  honors, 
—  a  barren  and  dry  land  where  no  water  was,  — 
into  a  country  which  we  '  had  not  known '  save  by 
faith,  and  as  it  were  in  dream,  but  promised  to  us  and 
given  to  our  ancient  Fathers.  As  it  has  proved,  the 
description  of  Palestine  in  Deuteronomy  is  not  too 
good  for  it. 

"  Next  week  will  be  almost  as  full  of  service  as  of 
solemnity.  So  I  take  an  hour  with  you  in  the  sombre 
half-light  of  the  tender  eve  of  Palm  Sunday,  before  the 
shadows  deepen  around  the  great  Cross.  We  are  all 
made  to  know  something  of  the  sufferings  of  heart  or 
conscience,  which  that  sacrifice  interprets  and  sanctifies. 
But  we  know  too  that  beyond  them  lie  Paradise  and 
the  IJfe  Eternal,  where  already  we  seem  to  see  forms 
and  faces,  shaped  by  memory  and  imagination,  which 
connect  the  past  and  the  future,  and  make  them 
one." 

Some  years  previous  to  the  date  of  the  following  let- 
ter, the  Rev.  George  Huntington  suffered  from  a  serious 
nervous  breakdown,  consequent  upon  overwork,  and 
was  obliged  to  resign  his  parish  in  Maiden.  He  re- 
moved for  rest  and  change  of  air  to  the  little  hill 
town  of  Ashfield,  in  Massachusetts,  fitting  up  the  old 
rectory  as  a  home  for  his  family,  and  taking  charge 
of  the  small  congregation  of  St.  John's  Church. 

Syracuse,  Oct.  29,  '90. 

My  dear  George  :  —  It  is  natural  that  I  should 
have   many  and  frequent  thoughts  about  the  place 


THE    ROAD    UPHILL  367 

and  returns  of  your  ministry  now  that  it  has  pleased 
God  to  answer  favorably  the  prayers  which  some  of 
us  at  least  have  been  offering  daily,  for  several  years, 
for  your  restoration  to  health.  A  devout  thanksgiving 
is  not  only  the  first  duty,  but  it  seems  that  it  ought  to 
subdue  and  put  into  the  background  the  anxiety,  which 
is  partly  unavoidable,  as  to  your  income.  The  pe- 
cuniary hardship  is  real;  but  when  we  compare  it 
with  the  far  greater  distress  attending  your  disable- 
ment a  few  months  ago,  we  ought  really  to  let  hope 
and  courage  take  the  place  of  despondency.  The 
question  whether  you  could  work  —  for  your  family 
and  the  Church  —  was  a  much  heavier  one  than  the 
question  where  you  shall  work.  It  is  unavoidable  that 
after  a  long  and  slow  decline  the  return  to  soundness 
and  vigor  should  be  gradual.  It  is  well  to  be  on  the 
lookout  for  a  more  remunerative  position,  and  it  is 
well  to  be  willing  to  wait  longer  for  it.  More  and 
more  it  has  become  my  faith  that  the  personal  Provi- 
dence is  in  all  the  ordering  of  our  lives,  even  the  very 
least,  and  that  when  we  miss  what  we  greatly  desired 
we  may  safely  conclude  that  God  has  some  better 
thing  to  give  us  when  He  and  we  are  ready. 

What  strikes  us  as  incongruous  is  that  with  your 
manifold  equipment  you  should  reach  so  few  minds 
and  lives.  But  then  one  remembers  Julius  Hare 
and  his  brother,  and  dozens  of  the  most  intellectual 
priests  in  the  English  Church,  serving  for  years  in 
cures  like  Ashfield.  The  reasons  and  equities  and 
openings    of    mysteries  are   sure   to   appear  by   and 

by. 

With  love  and  sympathy  and  trust. 

Your  Father. 


368  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

Three  months  later  his  son  received  a  call  to  the 
rectorship  of  St.  Thomas'  Church,  Hanover,  New 
Hampshire. 

Sykacuse,  Jan.  29,  '91. 
My  dear  George  :  —  You  know  what  a  lively 
interest  we  all  take  in  every  step  of  your  way  towards 
Hanover.  The  opening  must  be  regarded  as  God's 
way  of  answering  many  anxious  prayers.  It  was 
distinctly  in  my  hope  that  you  might  be  in  a  College 
town,  for  which  you  have  special  adaptions,*  and  I 
believe  you  will  be  of  great  service  to  Bishop  Niles, 
who  needs  the  help. 

The  following  June,  in  the  course  of  the  same  cor- 
respondence :  "  Let  your  reply  go  to  Hadley  where  I 
long  unspeakably  to  be."  And  in  another:  "Give  us 
all  the  time  you  can  this  summer.  Every  hour  I  long 
more  for  the  silence  there,  the  old  sweet  odor,  the 
long  days  and  the  night-mystery  and  benediction." 

Hadley,  July  7,  1891. 
To  L.  S.  H. 

In  this  separated  and  silent  place  and  its  quiet 
hours  I  think  over  the  days  past  and  the  days  to  come. 
Often  and  anxiously  I  inquire  of  myself  and  of  our 
dear  Lord  what  I  can   do  to  make  my    sacred    and 

^  Rev.  George  Huntington,  in  addition  to  his  parish  work  at 
Hanover,  became  a  Professor  of  Hebrew  in  Dartmouth  College  and 
received  a  few  years  later  at  Commencement  the  degree  of  Doctor 
of  Divinity.  This  recognition  of  his  son  was  a  gratification  to 
Bishop  Huntington  which  gave  him  even  more  pleasure  than  the 
honors  he  received  himself  in  1887  and  1889:  from  Columbia  Uni- 
versity his  title  S.  T.  D..  and  from  Syracuse  University  L.  H.  D. 


THE    ROAD    UPHILL  369 

swiftly  passing  work  more  effectual,  —  especially 
what  I  can  do  for  Syracuse,  for  the  Church  in  it,  for 
the  Church  people  in  it.  If  in  your  closer  intercourse 
with  the  women  or  men  there  than  is  possible  for  me, 
you  hear  of  any  suggestion  as  to  my  labors  or  method 
or  plans  or  shortcomings,  which  would  be  of  use  to 
me,  I  beg  you  to  let  me  know  it. 

The  pure,  fragrant  morning  air  is  drawing  in  at 
my  window.  The  life  of  the  house  is  only  beginning 
to  stir.  All  sounds  are  musical  and  all  sights  are 
beautiful.  Since  we  came,  many  calls  have  come  to 
me  for  service.  I  have  preached,  confirmed,  married, 
traveled,  kept  up  with  the  mail,  and  read  a  good  deal. 
I  am  now  in  the  voluminous  "  Life  "  of  the  late  Arch- 
bishop Tait,  which  rebukes  and  humbles  me. 

Baby  Hannah  is  an  unceasing  delight.  The  opening 
of  a  spirit  is  more  wonderful  than  the  opening  of  a  rose. 

In  advancing  age.  Bishop  Huntington's  vacations 
were  spent  in  much  the  same  way  as  of  old.  He 
never  lost  his  keen  relish  for  the  occupations  of  the 
farm,  entering  into  the  work  of  the  hay-field  until 
near  the  end  of  his  life.^  He  always  said  that  even 
on  the  hottest  day  he  was  cooler  when  busy  with  his 
rake  in  the  meadows,  than  in  any  other  place;  and  he 
seldom  showed  any  sign  of  fatigue.  When  he  was  past 
taking  an  early  plunge  in  the  river  he  loved  still  to 

^  That  Bishop  Huntington  considered  his  estate  as  a  trust  to  be 
employed  for  th^  good  of  others  may  be  seen  from  the  following 
words  written  to  a  Syracuse  neighbor;  " The  great  tobacco  harvest 
of  this  valley  is  nearly  over.  I  am  glad  to  claim  that  a  tobacco-plant 
has  never  been  raised  on  this  farm,  where  the  soil  invites  it.  Some- 
thing that  nourishes  the  life  of  man  or  beast  seems  to  be  a  worthier 
crop." 


370  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

wander  along  its  banks,  and  was  often  waiting  at  the 
boat-landing  for  the  members  of  the  merry  party  row- 
ing on  the  stream  when  they  returned  home.  He 
found  the  greatest  enjoyment  in  the  beautiful  wood- 
land on  the  estate,  one  summer  taking  much  pleasure 
in  laying  out  a  winding  road,  a  mile  long,  through 
which  he  would  drive  his  guests,  sometimes  it  seemed 
at  imminent  risk  of  overturning,  for  being  all  his  life 
accustomed  to  horses  he  never  felt  any  fear  himself. 
No  tangled  pathway  or  abrupt  turn  or  steep  descent 
daunted  him  when  on  an  expedition  across  country. 

A  guest  in  the  house,  describing  a  visit  there,  says 
of  her  host :  "  One  peculiarity  about  our  drives  was 
that  we  did  not  keep  to  the  highway  at  all.  He  seemed 
possessed  with  a  fancy  for  letting  down  bars,  and 
taking  to  fields  and  meadows,  and  I  never  drove  over 
so  much  grass  in  my  life  as  while  there." 

With  increasing  years  he  became  easily  fatigued 
by  the  noise  and  confusion  of  a  large  household,  and 
passed  more  and  more  time  in  his  study,  with  his 
writing  or  books;  but  he  delighted  in  taking  his 
family  on  long  days'  excursions,  or  with  some  of 
his  grandchildren  would  jog  about  the  lanes  in  a  low 
phaeton,  his  gray  suit  and  old  straw  hat  marking  him 
out  as  a  familiar  figure  to  the  country  folk.  Always 
alive  to  the  welfare  of  his  native  town,  he  took  an 
active  part  in  securing  the  Goodwin  Memorial  Library 
building,  at  the  opening  of  which  he  made  the  leading 
address.  He  was  genuinely  interested  jn  the  affairs 
of  the  two  congregations  near  his  home,  one  at  the 
village  to  the  north  and  the  other  worshiping  in  the 
old  Hadley  meeting-house  erected  under  the  super- 
vision   of    his  grandfather,  nearly  a  century  before. 


THE    ROAD    UPHILL  371 

Anything  which  concerned  the  prosperity  of  these 
fellow-believers  was  of  moment  to  him,  through  the 
truly  catholic  spirit  which  included  other  bodies  of 
faith,  and  also  on  account  of  the  early  associations 
so  dear  to  him.  With  changes  in  administration,  all 
differences  connected  with  his  mother's  experience 
were  forgotten  in  his  later  relations  to  the  pastor  of 
the  Hadley  church  and  his  flock. 

In  the  early  winter  of  1891,  Bishop  Huntington 
responded  to  a  request  from  the  Presbyterian  Union, 
in  New  York  City,  and  delivered  before  them  a  care- 
fully prepared  paper  on  Church  Unity,  which  was 
afterward  published.  "The  Evangelist"  said  of  it: 
"Bishop  Huntington's  address  was  beautiful  for 
that  broad  sympathy  with  men  in  their  natural  pre- 
possessions, that  yearning  love  for  the  cause  of  Christ, 
and  that  quick  spiritual  apprehension  which  are 
marked  characteristics  of  the  man.  He  would  learn 
what  the  Church  is,  not  so  much  by  the  study  of 
history  as  by  the  study  of  Christ.  The  Church  is  His 
body,  in  Him  Christians  are  actually  one,  though  they 
have  not  come  to  realize  it.  The  discussion  was  not 
now  one  of  doctrinal  points,  and  since  Presbyterians 
recognized  the  validity  of  Episcopal  ordination,  it 
seemed  a  simpler  matter  to  the  good  bishop  than  it 
probably  does  to  most  of  us,  that  Presbyterians  should 
accept  the  Historic  Episcopate,  with  such  powers  of 
adaptation  to  our  policy  and  regulation  of  our  wor- 
ship and  discipline  as  are  due  to  our  own  honorable 
traditions.   .   .   . 

"  Thus  he  thought  a  federation  of  Churches  might 
be  made,  somewhat  analogous  to  our  national  federal 
union." 


372  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

The  exact  language  used  was  as  follows :  — 

"  There  need  be  no  distress  at  the  word  '  federation ,' 
for  there  would  be  no  federation  of  Churches;  the 
Church  would  be,  as  she  originally  was,  and  in  the 
original  sense  ever  must  be,  one. 

"This  republic  is  not  a  federation  of  nations,  but  of 
states  as  a  Nation.  In  the  choice  of  a  term  for  one 
of  the  constituent  parts  of  the  integral  commonwealth, 
—  the  state,  —  our  civil  fathers  took  a  name  which 
had  been  and  still  is  in  civil  language  applied  to  the 
constitutional  whole.  By  the  limitations  of  language, 
inaccuracy  is  the  blemish  of  many  a  nomenclature 
which  nevertheless  serves  a  great  purpose  in  the 
philosophy  and  practice  of  government.  Within  a 
National  or  Provincial  Church  there  might  be  synodic 
Councils,  Chapters,  or  Convocations.  Encircling  them 
all  would  be  the  fourfold  vinculum,  the  very  same  that 
our  Declaration  named.  Scripture,  Creed,  Sacraments, 
Apostolical  Commission."  ^ 

For  the  Lenten  season  of  that  year  Bishop  Hunt- 
ington prepared  the  last  of  his  three  books  of  devo- 
tional readings,  with  the  title  of  "Forty  Days  with 
the  Master."  The  material  in  this  volume  was  taken 
entirely  from  his  own  writings. 

Amid  his  constant  literary  activities  were  publica- 
tions each  year  of  Lenten  pastorals,  searching,  spirit- 
ual, and  direct  in  their  character;  contributions  to 
leading  church  weeklies ;  and  tracts,  of  which  may  be 
mentioned  particularly  the  following:  "Christ  and 
the  World ; "  "  Gospel  and  Judgment ; "  "  Three  Lines 

^  The  so-called  "Quadrilateral"  issued  by  the  House  of  Bishops 
at  the  General  Convention  in  Chicago  in  1886;  four  articles  of 
agreement  put  forth  as  a  basis  of  Church  Unity. 


THE    ROAD    UPHILL  373 

of  Service;"  "The  Common  Things  of  Divine  Ser- 
vice ;  "  "  Letter  to  a  Young  Postulant; "  "  Divine  Citi- 
zenship." Many,  of  these  messages,  from  the  pulpit 
or  the  press,  the  Bishop  circulated  personally,  send- 
ing them  to  the  clergy  and  to  friends  at  a  distance, 
thus  keeping  in  touch  with  a  long  list  of  correspond- 
ents. 

Syracuse,  Dec.  23,  '92. 
Dear  George  :  —  I  wish  we  could  all  keep  the 
Feast  together.  That  being  out  of  the  question  •!  want 
to  give  you  the  Christmas  morning  salutation.  What 
stronger  proof  of  the  Kingship  of  the  Son  of  Man  in 
a  world  so  self-seeking  as  this,  than  that  by  Him,  one 
day  and  night  every  year,  everybody  in  Christendom 
is  set  to  thinking  kindly  of  somebody  else  "^  It  is  as 
great  a  miracle  as  what  the  shepherds  saw  and  heard 
at  Bethlehem. 

We  all  heartily  wish  you  all  the  Christmas  joy. 
How  much  we  have  to  be  thankful  for! 

With  love  and  blessing, 

F.  D.  H. 

Bishop  Huntington's  want  of  sympathy  with  ex- 
tremes in  ritual  observances  was  well  known,  though 
there  were  not  many  cases  in  his  own  jurisdiction 
where  he  felt  called  upon  to  warn  or  to  admonish,  and 
none  where  any  serious  collision  occurred.  In  the 
matter  of  language  and  terminology  his  objection  was 
strongly  expressed  against  the  use  of  the  word  "  Mass." 
In  the  spring  of  1893  this  was  a  subject  which  gave 
him  so  much  concern  that  it  was  only  with  an  effort 
that  he  set  it  aside,  as  shown  in  the  following  letter. 


374  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

Walnut  Place,  May  26,  '93. 
To  THE  Rev.  George  Huntington. 

I  have  dismissed  the  matter  of  the  "  Mass  "  from  my 
mind.  I  thought  and  think  now,  that  if  any  Priest 
in  our  Church  should  persist  in  using  the  outlandish 
and  offensive  term,  with  a  knowledge  of  the  religious 
harm  it  must  do,  of  the  reasons  against  it,  and  of  the 
absence  of  all  authority  for  it,  such  a  persistency  could 
not  fail  to  cause  a  suspicion  of  a  concealed  intention 
to  assimilate  the  Anglican  to  the  Latin  Church,  and 
to  hide  the  difference  between  the  two  as  respects 
Eucharistic  doctrine.  The  great  opportunity  which 
the  "advanced  men"  (so  far  as  they  hold  to  the  Hu- 
manity in  the  Incarnation  and  its  practical  realization 
in  Society)  have  before  them,  renders  their  account- 
ability the  more  fearful  if  they  overlay  or  disturb 
or  misrepresent  the  spiritual  substance  of  the  Faith. 

Sept.  4,  1893,  was  the  fiftieth  anniversary  of  the 
marriage  of  Frederic  Dan  Huntington  and  Hannah 
Dane  Sargent,  in  Hartford  Place,  Boston;  and  the 
Golden  Wedding  celebration  took  place  quietly  at 
Hadley.  The  entire  family  was  assembled:  the  five 
children,  a  daughter-in-law  and  son-in-law,  and  seven 
grandchildren.  Mrs.  Archibald  Sessions,  the  second 
daughter,  had  already  made  her  permanent  summer 
home,  with  her  husband  and  little  girl,  at  Pine  Grove, 
the  mansion  on  the  southern  part  of  the  original 
property  built  by  Major  Phelps,  and  purchased  from 
his  cousins  by  Bishop  Huntington  two  years  before. 
On  the  day  of  commemoration  a  few  intimate  friends 
and  relatives  gathered  with  the  family  for  supper 
in  the  "Long  room"  of  the  old  house.     Many  mes- 


THE    ROAD    UPHILL  375 

sages  of  affection  and  congratulation  were  received, 
with  gifts  in  gold  and  silver;  a  beautiful  picture  being 
sent  by  the  clergy  of  Syracuse.  The  occasion  was 
one  of  complete  happiness  and  thanksgiving,  expressed 
by  the  whole  household  together,  at  Grace  Church, 
Amherst,  the  day  previous,  when  Bishop  Huntington 
celebrated  the  Holy  Eucharist,  and  his  two  sons  as- 
sisted, the  younger  preaching  the  sermon. 

One  day  that  season  the  Bishop  climbed  up  the  rough 
ground  on  Mt.  Warner,  with  some  of  the  farm  people, 
in  a  search  for  a  lost  heifer,  and  experienced  a  strain. 
It  did  not  seem  a  matter  of  any  consequence,  at  first,  but 
gradually  caused  discomfort,  so  that  on  returning  to 
Syracuse  he  gave  up  much  walking  or  standing.  The 
pain  and  inaction,  combined  with  an  accumulated 
nervous  fatigue,  produced  a  condition  of  depression 
and  weakness  which  increased  as  the  winter  came  on. 
While  no  serious  difficulty  developed,  the  sufferer 
could  not  throw  off  the  feeling  of  apprehension,  which 
was  an  inherited  constitutional  aiffection.  It  was 
finally  decided,  by  the  advice  of  the  physician,  to  try 
the  effects  of  a  voyage  across  the  Atlantic  and  the 
change  of  scene  to  be  found  in  foreign  travel.  Mrs. 
Huntington,  with  the  youngest  daughter,  accom- 
panied her  husband,  and  they  spent  six  weeks  in 
Great  Britain  and  France,  returning  early  in  June,  in 
time  for  the  Annual  Diocesan  Convention  which  met 
in  Syracuse. 

CuNAED  Royal  Mail  Steamship  "  Umbria." 

April  14,  1894. 

To  Rev.  James  Huntington. 

My  dear  James :  —  We  are  glad  to  know  of  your 
engagements  and  to  get  your  Good-by. 


376  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

"Again  farewell,  an  idle  word, 

Spoken  to  thee,  who  farest  well  always: 
'Good-bye'  then,  idler  still. 
As  God  were  not 

With  thee  through  all  the  never-ending  days." 

Let  your  chief  intercession  for  me  be  that  I  may 
be  more  willing  that  God's  will  may  be  done  with  me, 
in  Hfe  or  death,  health  or  infirmity,  that  I  may  be  of 
more  and  better  use  in  Christ's  service  while  I  live 
here,  and  that  the  perfect  love  of  God  in  me  may  cast 
out  fear. 

Your  ever  loving  and  trusting  father, 

F.  D.  H. 


EusTON  Hotel,  London,  April  27,  1894. 
To  L.  S.  H. 

This  afternoon,  we  have  been  floating  up  and  down 
the  Cam,  under  the  Spring  sunshine,  Colleges  and 
their  Quadrangles  in  full  view;  orchards  full  of  fruit 
blossoms,  and  gardens,  sweet  with  flowers,  on  either 
side,  lilacs,  laburnums,  and  masses  of  ivy  hanging 
over  the  banks,  and  do\\Ti  the  ancient  walls;  and 
mossy  stone  steps,  classic  bridges  and  arches  overhead ; 
birds  of  many  kinds  singing  in  the  shrubbery,  crows 
cawing  in  the  tree-tops  just  as  ours  do  at  Hadley,  — 
but  building  their  nests  in  plain  sight  of  the  town,  as 
ours  do  not;  whole  fleets  of  students  rowing  and 
sailing,  many  tennis  courts,  children  at  play,  and 
swans  craning  their  white  necks,  —  all  a  lovely  vision. 
We  have  seen  many  things  and  people.  Next  week 
we  expect  to  go  to  Oxford,  Salisbury,  Canterbury, 
Paris,  —  and  then  Northwards,  D.  V.  God  will  hear 
the    many    prayers  —  yours    and    others  —  and    will 


THE    ROAD    UPHILL  377 

answer  them  all  in  His  own  good  and  wise  way, 
whether  just  as  we  desire  or  not. 

We  have  worshiped  once  at  St.  Paul's,  once  at 
St.  Pancras,  once  at  St.  Martin 's-in-the-Fields,  once  at 
Westminster  Abbey. 

How  sad  it  is  that,  of  many  ages,  so  large  a  propor- 
tion are  commemorated  for  great  deeds  in  the  art  of 
slaughter,  for  mere  power,  or  for  rank  and  title  and 
birth,  —  so  few  for  the  greatness  which  Christ  made 
chief  of  all, —faith,  hope,  charity,  for  character! 

Edinboro',  May  19,  1894. 
To  J.  I.  T.  C. 

On  the  whole  I  think  the  image  of  what  we  saw 
on  Thursday  will  stay  longest  in  remembrance  —  the 
views  of  Fountains  Abbey,  near  Ripon,  lying  in 
pathetic  silence  and  majesty  in  a  winding  valley,  remote 
from  all  dwellings  of  men.  The  vine-covered  walls 
of  the  monastery  itself  help  one  to  trace  out  measurably 
the  whole  round  of  daily  life  of  those  extraordinary, 
silent,  praying,  obedient  recluses,  scholars,  toilers, 
preachers,  —  all  gone  forever.  They  covered  a  large 
place  in  their  domain,  as  they  did  in  the  world's  his- 
tory. And  now  every  day  of  summer,  bands  of  trav- 
elers visit  these  memorials  of  the  Past  from  all  parts  of 
the  world.  We  have  seen  them  in  every  Cathedral, 
gallery,  palace,  where  we  have  been.  Such  is  the  spell 
of  years! 

Traveling  at  the  rate  we  do,  we  can  only  see  the 
surface  of  things,  persons  or  places.  One  of  the  chief 
effects  is  to  make  one  feel  more  palpably  and  painfully 
how  little  he  knows.  I  want  especially  to  read  over 
again  the  history  of  England  and  the  English  Church, 


378  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

Montalembert's  eloquent  "  Monks  of  the  West, "  and 
Scott's  novels.  We  are  all  quite  ready  to  sail.  It  has 
been  the  coldest  May  I  ever  knew,  not  one  warm  day, 
not  one  when  a  fire  was  not  needed  since  we  left  the 
steamer,  April  22nd.  The  fields  don't  seem  to  mind  it, 
or  the  lilacs,  but  we  do.  The  Boston  East  wind  blows 
all  the  time.  .  .  . 

From  London  to  Paris  is  indeed  from  grave  to  gay  — 
cheery,  sunshiny,  light-hearted,  good-natured  Paris. 
England  thinks,  France  laughs.  At  the  Boulevards  on 
Sunday  afternoon,  it  might  seem  that  there  is  no  other 
world  than  this.    .    .    . 

My  ailments  have  yielded  kindly  to  the  influence  of 
rest  and  change,  in  a  fair  degree.  Where  there  is  a 
constant  sense  of  uncertainty  in  the  body  it  is  diffi- 
cult to  escape  depression  of  spirit.  It  is  easy  to  say,  as 
everybody  does.  Don't  think  about  it;  but  thoughts 
are  not  so  manageable.  I  can  certainly  do  more  than 
before  we  left  home.  I  have  not  the  slightest  doubt 
of  God's  fatherly  mercy  and  wisdom.  I  know  He  is 
dealing  graciously  with  me  whatever  the  result.  I 
believe  it  is  not  faith  that  is  wanting,  or  gratitude. 
If  He  has  more  active  work  for  me  to  do,  I  shall  do  it 
gladly.  If  I  can  go  through  the  push  and  pull  of  our 
Convention  and  the  Celebrations  and  other  duties 
of  the  second  week  in  June,  and  get  to  Hadley,  per- 
haps I  may  hope  to  take  up  the  regular  round  in  the 
Fall. 

On  the  margin  of  the  letter  is  written,  "God  bless 
the  Diocese  of  Massachusetts." 

Natural  inclination  and  the  depression  of  illness 
led  the  Bishop  to  avoid  all   publicity.     In  private  he 


THE    ROAD    UrHILL  379 

enjoyed  meeting  his  valued  friend  Canon  Benham, 
and  the  bishops  of  London,  Lincohi,  and  Ely.  In- 
vitations to  preach  he  was  obliged  to  decline.  This 
was  the  more  to  be  regretted  because  there  were 
many  who  would  have  welcomed  with  much  en- 
thusiasm the  author  of  "  Christian  Beheving  and  Liv- 
ing," the  volume  which  has  had  the  widest  circulation 
across  the  water.  On  more  than  one  occasion  a  ser- 
mon from  this  collection,  delivered  in  an  English 
pulpit,  was  recognized  by  some  American  traveler 
who  heard  it.  During  a  meeting  of  the  Congregational 
Board,  in  Syracuse,  there  were  so  many  strangers 
to  be  entertained  that  hospitality  was  gladly  extended 
by  the  Bishop's  household.  He  himself  was  unavoid- 
ably absent  from  home  at  the  time.  When  the  guests 
arrived,  one  of  them  proved  to  be  the  Rev.  George  S. 
Barrett,  a  distinguished  Englishman.  His  first  excla- 
mation when  he  learned  to  whose  house  he  had  come 
was  one  of  surprise  and  pleasure;  for,  as  he  said,  the 
Bishop's  sermons  had  been  among  his  treasured  books 
for  years,  a  copy  always  lying  on  his  writing-table. 
Another  pleasant  occurrence  was  when  a  Syracuse 
woman  attended  Sunday  service  at  Westminster  Abbey 
and  Hstened  to  a  preacher  who  said,  in  the  course  of 
his  address,  that  those  influences  which  had  most 
deeply  affected  his  life  he  owed  to  the  writings  of  an 
American,  mentioning  by  name  the  Bishop  of  Central 
New  York. 

Among  the  few  letters  written  on  this  journey 
was  one  to  a  presbyter  of  Central  New  York,  in 
which  he  described  his  visit  to  the  University  of 
Cambridge.  Rev.  Mr.  Casey  says,  in  reply:  "I 
am  much  pleased  to  hear  that  you  were  invited  to 


380  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

preach  in  St.  Mary's  pulpit,  —  the  most  jealously 
guarded  one,  I  take  it,  in  the  whole  of  our  English- 
speaking  world.  It  was  an  '  honor, '  no  doubt,  and  the 
fact  that  your  invitation  was  for  the  10th  of  June 
made  it  all  the  greater,  but  unless  I  have  mistaken  the 
temper  of  my  fellow  countrymen  in  general,  and  of 
my  fellow  university  men  in  particular,  more  than  I 
can  easily  conceive  to  be  possible,  they  must  have 
felt,  as  I  do,  that  it  was  one  of  the  rare  and  happy 
cases  in  which  —  not  to  speak  profanely,  — '  honors 
were  easy.'" 

A  few  lines  penned  hastily  to  an  old  friend  express 
the  beneficial  effects  of  the  vacation :  — 

Walnut  Place,  June  5,  1894. 
As  to  my  health  the  trip  seems  to  have  been  well- 
advised  and  well-timed.    We  only  arrived  last  evening, 
and  I  am  writing  at  an  early  hour,  the  only  one  astir 
in  the  house,  and  with  a  vast  pile  of  work  before  me. 

The  twenty-fifth  anniversary  of  the  consecration 
of  the  Bishop  of  Central  New  York  occurred  on  the 
Sunday  of  the  Good  Shepherd,  April  8,  1894.  Sermons 
appropriate  to  the  occasion  were  preached  on  that 
day  in  many  churches  of  the  diocese,  and  a  united 
service  was  held  by  the  parishes  of  Syracuse  at  St. 
Paul's  on  that  evening,  when  the  discourse  was  de- 
livered by  the  Rev.  Joseph  Morrison  Clarke,  D.D. 
A  more  formal  and  very  impressive  commemoration 
took  place  during  the  session  of  the  Convention  in 
Syracuse,  on  June  13.  Morning  Prayer  was  said  and 
the  Holy  Communion  celebrated,  with  a  sermon 
by  Rt.  Rev.  Henry  Codman  Potter,  Bishop  of   New 


THE    ROAD    UPHILL  381 

York.  At  the  evening  service  addresses  were  made 
by  Rt.  Rev.  Arthur  Cleveland  Coxe,  Bishop  of  Western 
New  York;  the  Rev.  John  Brainerd,  D.D.,  rector  of 
St.  Peter's,  Auburn;  with  one  written  by  the  Rev. 
EHphalet  Nott  Potter,  D.D.,  President  of  Hobart 
College,  and  read  in  his  absence  by  Rev.  Henry  R. 
Lockwood,  rector  of  St.  Paul's,  Syracuse. 

In  his  address  before  the  Convention  the  Bishop 
made  this  reference  to  the  journey  from  which  he  had 
just  returned:  — 

"Looking  reverently  at  twelve  worshipful  Cathe- 
drals, and  sharing  the  stately  but  never  florid  wor- 
ship in  several  of  them,  where  veneration  is  mingled 
with  thanksgiving,  and  admiration  is  surpassed  only 
by  wonder,  I  can  testify  in  all  sincerity  that  a  plain 
service  in  any  one  of  our  least  elaborate  churches  or 
mission  chapels  of  our  own  Diocesan  domain  touches 
a  tenderer  place  in  my  affections,  and  wakens  a 
warmer  personal  sympathy,  than  the  pillars  and 
arches,  the  marble  and  the  gold,  the  carvings  and 
memorial  tablets  of  the  grandest  of  them.  History 
and  art,  stones  literally  and  visibly  grooved  by  the 
knees  of  adoring  believers  gone  hundreds  of  years 
ago  to  Paradise,  the  echoes  of  their  anthems,  the 
fame  of  prelates  and  martyrs,  are  wrought  into  the 
grace  and  majesty  of  those  marvelous  structures.  Yet 
I  find  something  in  myself,  which  the  Lord  of  an 
unseen  glory  has  planted  there,  that  makes  every 
humble  sanctuary  built  and  cared  for  by  those  who  are 
dear  as  a  household,  and  on  whose  heads  my  hands 
have  laid  God's  gracious  benediction,  more  precious 
to  my  heart  than  any  costlier  temple  where  his  honor 
dwelleth." 


382  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

The  functions  of  the  whole  day  were  very  solemn, 
while  a  pleasant  feature  at  the  close  was  a  general 
reception,  when  the  delegates  and  the  church  people 
of  Syracuse  thronged  to  take  the  hand  of  their  beloved 
Bishop  and  to  offer  words  of  congratulation. 

It  was  natural  that  the  members  of  the  city  parishes 
should  testify  a  loyal  devotion  to  one  who  had  labored 
among  them  for  twenty-five  years.  Some  belonged 
to  congregations  which  owed  their  existence  to  the 
Chief  Pastor,  many  had  received  the  sacred  rite  of 
confirmation  at  his  hands,  and  to  more  still  he  had 
repeatedly  offered  the  bread  of  life  and  spoken  words 
of  godly  teaching.  But  through  the  community  at 
large,  respect  and  honor  were  paid  to  him  by  those  of 
other  creeds  than  his  own  who  were  wont  to  call  him 
"our  Bishop."  In  the  words  of  one  who  was  almost 
a  stranger  personally:  — 

"  He  was  indeed  a  reverend  '  father  in  God,'  creating 
a  palpable  atmosphere  of  purity,  as  he  walked  through 
the  streets,  growing  year  by  year  dearer  to  the  people 
as  his  figure  became  bent  and  his  step  more  feeble; 
longing,  as  he  expressed  himself,  for  'his  Father's 
broad  acres.'  His  searching  eye,  as  it  was  plain  to 
the  observer,  glanced  about  him  in  judgment,  as 
well  as  in  blessing,  and  his  voice,  in  greeting,  often 
framed  words  which  testified  to  his  abiding  con- 
sciousness of  his  position  as  a  churchman;  for  ex- 
ample, on  one  occasion  when  he  wished  his  passing 
friend,  instead  of  the  conventional  good-morning, 
'A  happy  St.  Stephen's  Day.'"  ^ 

The  same  writer  uses  a  felicitous  simile  when  she 
speaks  of  the  Bishop's  influence  as  "an  abstract 
1  The  Craftsman,  October,  1904. 


THE    ROAD    UPHILL  383 

spiritual  force  working  like  a  powerful  chemical 
upon  the  materialism  of  a  commercial  and  industrial 
centre."  Through  the  press,  in  letters  and  inter- 
views, the  subjects  of  the  day  —  wrongs,  abuses,  follies, 
were  treated  with  fearless  rebuke,  and  yet  all  the 
time  a  strong  sympathy  breathing  through  the  un- 
sparing sentences  made  one  feel  that  his  heart  was 
with  the  community  in  which  he  lived.  A  prominent 
woman  wrote  after  his  death:  "I  cannot  express 
how  much  we  miss  him  and  his  fearless  writings  and 
utterances.  How  strongly  and  grandly  he  would  say 
things,  how  he  could  make  every  word  *  ring  with 
meaning."  And  another:  "I  shall  miss  keenly  his 
presence  and  example  and  the  power  he  had  of  put- 
ting the  right  course  of  action  plainly  before  the 
public.  In  looking  back  it  seems  as  if  he  had  been  in 
a  way  the  conscience  of  the  city,  and  his  words  in 
any  time  of  perplexity  carried  a  weight  that  none 
else's  could.  Think  of  what  he  had  done,  just  by  his 
individual  opinion,  in  the  way  of  keeping  church 
entertainments  within  proper  bounds,  and  how 
his  letter  about  the  Mormons  appealed  to  every 
decent  person  in  the  Community,  no  matter  to  what 
church  they  belonged." 

The  incident  referred  to  was  the  advertised  notice 
of  a  public  meeting  to  be  held  in  a  convention  hall, 
in  Syracuse,  in  the  interests  of  the  Mormon  cause. 
A  good  deal  of  notoriety  had  been  given  to  the 
proselyting  efforts  of  certain  emissaries  from  Utah, 
and  there  was  some  agitation  on  the  subject.  A  few 
days  before  the  date  appointed,  Bishop  Huntington 
sent  a  letter  to  a  leading  daily  paper.  In  view  of  the 
fact  that  the  meeting  would  be  attended  by  many 


384  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

under  the  pretext  that  they  only  wanted  to  see  what 
was  going  on  and  hear  what  the  Mormons  had  to  say 
for  themselves,  he  w^rote:  — 

*'A  suggestion  is  made  to  one  class  of  people,  a 
large  class.  Will  it  be  altogether  vain  to  ask  them, 
how  they  can  best  serve  the  cause  of  public  purity, 
domestic  order,  family  welfare,  the  sanctity  of  wed- 
lock, a  clean  civilization,  a  Christian  city  and  com- 
munity ?  One  way,  a  very  cheap  way,  is  to  express 
correct  sentiments,  to  denounce  the  superstition  as  a 
sin  or  ridicule  it  as  a  folly.  Anti-Mormon  societies 
may  be  formed  with  pious  platforms  and  lofty  resolves, 
and  a  string  of  officers  elected;  petitions  may  be 
signed,  protests  issued,  sermons  preached,  missionaries 
sent  out. 

"Very  well.  Let  me  recommend  another  way,  more 
simple,  more  effective,  costing  you.  Christian  man  or 
woman,  nothing,  unless,  for  the  moment,  it  requires 
the  sacrifice  of  dubious  and  inquisitive  inclination. 
Leave  the  whole  occasion  to  curiosity-hunters,  gos- 
sips, idlers,  those  of  your  neighbors  to  whom  time 
and  self-discipline  and  irreproachable  associations 
are  of  no  account,  and  stay  away." 

The  meeting  did  not  take  place,  and  the  visiting 
elders  received  no  further  attention. 

The  Bishop  took  a  prominent  part  in  enlisting 
support  for  the  Y.  M.  C.  Association.  His  unwearied 
labors  for  the  forms  of  benefaction  under  his  imme- 
diate care  did  not  weaken  his  interest  in  other  lines  of 
work.  A  number  of  his  Theological  students  were  ed- 
ucated at  Syracuse  University.  He  lived  within  sound 
of  its  beautiful  chimes,  and  his  relations  with  the 
institution  were  open  and  cordial.     His  near  neigh- 


THE    ROAD    UPHILL  385 

bor,  the  chancellor,  Dr.  J.  R.  Day,  recalls  a  visit 
when  he  found  the  Bishop,  as  was  usual  in  his  later 
years,  sitting  by  the  blazing  logs  of  the  hearth.  "He 
greeted  me  with  the  question,  'Were  you  reared  be- 
fore a  fireplace  ?  I  suppose  you  were  as  you  were  a 
New  Englander.'  But  turning  to  me  rather  abruptly, 
as  was  his  way  of  emphasizing  the  importance  of  the 
subject  in  hand,  sometimes,  he  said:  'We  must  do 
something  for  the  House  of  the  Good  Shepherd.  We 
must  raise  a  large  sum  to  put  up  a  thoroughly  ap- 
pointed hospital.  But  you  are  about  to  try  to  pay  the 
debts  of  the  University;  you  plan  new  buildings.  I 
have  watched  the  progress  of  the  University  ever 
since  I  took  up  my  residence  here  and  it  has  a  first 
claim  on  this  city,  and  I  would  do  nothing  to  turn  the 
attention  of  the  people  from  it  at  a  time  when  you  are 
making  an  effort  to  secure  its  financial  stability,  and 
provide  for  the  rapidly  increasing  number  of  students.' " 

Sympathetic  to  every  class  of  distress,  that  trait  in 
the  Bishop's  nature  which  led  him  to  give  credence 
to  all  who  came  to  him  for  help  would  have  affected 
his  private  almsgiving  if  he  had  not  kept  to  principles 
of  relief  worked  out  by  him  long  before  the  days  of 
that  inexact  science  known  as  "  Charity  organization." 
To  strangers  at  his  doors  he  would  not  give  money, 
but  provided  a  night's  lodging  and  a  railroad  ticket 
to  any  point  of  destination  not  far  distant.  He  never 
believed  in  small  loans,  preferring  to  assist  the  needy 
in  other  ways,  rather  than  to  run  the  risk  of  breaking 
down  their  self-respect  by  permitting  them  to  incur 
obligations  so  slight  that  they  would  not  attempt  to 
discharge  them. 

Among  the  diflScult  cases  with  which,  like  all  men 


386  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

in  his  position,  he  had  to  deal,  were  \dctims  of  alcohol 
and  drugs,  professional  failures,  clerical  spendthrifts 
involved  in  the  entanglements  of  moral  weakness. 
Scrupulous  to  the  smallest  detail  in  his  own  money 
matters,  the  Bishop  helped  many  a  disheartened  de- 
linquent out  of  the  entanglement  of  financial  em- 
barrassment, sometimes  sternly,  but  always  with  clear 
business  advice  and  prompt  action.  When  a  trans- 
gressor had  lost  character  he  readily  lent  his  in- 
fluence to  secure  a  renewed  confidence,  and  oppor- 
tunity for  employment.  After  he  was  eighty  years  old 
he  took  two  long  journeys  on  successive  days,  in  un- 
certain weather,  in  order  to  gain  clemency  from  his 
employers  for  a  defaulter  in  exile  and  disgrace.  Of  all 
sufferers  he  was  most  pitiful  to  children,  and  in  later 
years  could  not  hear  of  such  without  emotion  and 
immediate  steps  for  relief. 

He  was  always  good-natured  to  interviewers,  specially 
so  in  the  comparative  leisure  of  old  age.  One  of  them 
related  that  being  introduced  into  the  study  he  found 
its  occupant  buried  in  thought.  "He  rose  and  ex- 
tended his  hand  in  friendly  greeting.  '  I  have  come  to 
get  a  sentiment  from  you  on  Thanksgi\dng,  Bishop.' 

*'  He  seated  himself  again  and  gazed  into  the  fire 
awhile  and  then  said:  — 

"  *  Oh,  I  don't  know.  A  long  list  of  things.  We  are 
thankful  for  about  everything  we  have.  It  all  comes 
from  above.  I  don't  know  what  to  select  out  of  the  mul- 
titude of  causes  for  thanksgiving  to  especially  mention.' 

"  He  mused  awhile  and  then  said :  — 

"  '  You  might  put  it  all  in  one  sentence  —  the  Al- 
mighty does  not  deal  with  us  according  to  our  de- 
servings.'  " 


THE    ROAD    UPHILL  387 

Among  the  various  applications  which  come  to 
pubhc  men,  one  of  the  most  frequent  is  for  a  free  and 
impromptu  expression  of  opinion  on  the  great  ques- 
tions of  the  day.  Bishop  Huntington  was  never  in 
any  sense  a  poHtical  partisan.  While  willing  to  talk 
about  the  movements  of  the  time,  giving  attention 
to  progressive  measures  and  the  minds  of  those  who 
prompted  them,  he  took  no  interest  at  all  in  the  suc- 
cess of  any  particular  party,  whether  in  local  or  na- 
tional affairs.  It  was  no  doubt  a  peculiarity  of  his 
nature  to  stand  somewhat  aloof,  to  view  events  in  the 
character  of  a  prophet  or  a  seer,  rather  than  to  take 
sides  in  any  political  controversy.  In  behalf  of  civic 
responsibility  he  spoke  often  and  earnestly.  On  the 
lines  which  divided  the  hostile  camps,  he  advocated 
free  trade,  and  strongly  opposed  the  acquisition  of 
the  Philippine  Islands.  He  favored  the  removal  of 
political  disabilities  from  women,  and  was  much 
interested  in  the  single-tax  reform. 

The  following  letter  was  written  during  the  Bryan 
Campaign. 

To  Rev.  J.  O.  S.  Huntington. 

The  text  seems  to  be  "  These  ought  ye  to  have  done, 
and  not  to  leave  the  other  undone."  Is  there  any  such 
thing  as  a  conscience  that  is  not  a  social  conscience  ? 
Can  any  soul  be  pious  in  a  Christian  sense,  that  is  not 
actively  just,  be  holy  without  being  serviceable  ?  Will 
a  devotional  culture  avail  without  a  social  and  civic 
usefulness  ?    Which  must  come  first  ? 

Can  the  one  go  without  the  other  .'^  It  is  the  ques- 
tion of  the  time  for  two  parties  seeking  the  kingdom, 
and  wishing  to  be  saved. 


388  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

What  the  Church  as  well  as  the  world  needs  is  to 
get  nearer  to  God.  But  what  God  ?  What  kind  of  a 
God  ?  If  it  is  the  God  in  Christ,  the  answer  seems  to 
be,  Isolated  religion  is  impossible.  A  revival  or  in- 
crease of  personal  piety  cannot  be  had,  and  ought 
not  to  be  preached,  without  a  distinct  and  a  con- 
scious purpose  to  help  mankind.  I  more  and  more 
believe  that  here  is  where  our  strength  as  teachers  and 
preachers  ought  to  be  spent,  —  on  making  all  man- 
ner of  humane  work  devout,  godly,  and  all  worship 
practical  for  the  world. 

It  is  certainly  interesting  to  observe,  from  day  to 
day,  the  course  of  the  national  debate,  and  the  strange, 
shifting,  unexpected  turns  of  the  political  struggle. 
One  thing  is  already  established,  the  legitimacy  of  the 
bolt.  Parties  are  split  to  pieces,  and  the  stanchest 
partisans  on  both  sides  are  mugwumps.  Independent 
voting  is  henceforth  respectable.  It  would  be  a  great 
satisfaction  if  the  real  underlying  interest,  the  rights 
of  labor,  the  equality  of  classes,  the  overthrow  of  the 
money  power,  could  have  come  before  the  country 
unmixed  with  the  squabble  about  money,  so  that  one 
could  have  had  a  chance  to  vote  for  a  principle 
irrespective  of  the  chink  of  gold  or  silver,  and  the 
financial  problem  that  so  few  of  us  understand,  and 
about  which  men  equally  good  and  wise  are  hope- 
lessly divided.  The  contest  of  the  war  in  the  sixties 
had  a  higher  dignity  and  roused  a  nobler  enthusiasm. 

In  his  address  to  the  Diocesan  Convention  in  June, 
1895,  the  Bishop  made  this  statement:  — 

"  In  February  a  suit  brought  against  me  as  Bishop 
to   compel   the   admission   of   a   Presbyter   into   this 


THE    ROAD    UPHILL  389 

Diocese  and  the  Rectorship  of  a  Parish,  from  the 
Diocese  of  Western  New  York,  came  to  a  unanimous 
decision  by  the  Supreme  Court,  on  appeal,  adverse 
to  the  Plaintiffs.  The  action  complained  of  and  the 
defense  rested  on  a  purpose  to  maintain  the  honor  of 
the  ministry  and  the  law  of  the  Church  according  to  the 
provisions  of  Canon  18,  Title  1  of  the  Digest.  Com- 
ment on  events,  expressions  and  measures  connected 
with  the  contention,  which  lasted  more  than  two 
years,  is  obviously  needless,  and  is  withheld.  Names 
and  details,  if  wanted,  must  be  sought  elsewhere  than 
in  official  records.  The  Parish  in  question  has  re- 
sumed a  position  in  loyal  submission  to  constituted 
authority,  in  harmony  with  its  previous  honorable 
history.  Our  Diocese  as  well  as  the  Church  at  large, 
is  under  obligations  of  gratitude  and  esteem  to  the 
Hon.  A.  H.  Sawyer,  of  our  own  Standing  Committee, 
for  an  exhaustive  and  weighty  argument,  which 
won  him  the  admiration,  and  encomiums  of  dis- 
tinguished judges  and  lawyers,  and  which  together 
with  the  extended  opinion  of  the  Court,  must  be 
recognized  henceforth  as  conclusive  in  judicial  pro- 
ceedings and  tribunals  affecting  ecclesiastical  govern- 
ment." 

This  was  the  only  pubHc  allusion  ever  made  by 
Bishop  Huntington  to  the  train  of  annoying  circum- 
stances which  led  to  the  litigation,  and  which  forced 
him  into  an  official  action  he  was  reluctant  to  take. 
With  his  peace-loving  disposition  it  was  a  peculiar 
trial  to  be  at  variance  with  any  of  his  own  people. 
A  community  like  that  in  which  he  lived  has  always 
a  considerable  number  who  side  with  the  complainant 
of  a  grievance,  whatever  it  may  be;  and  there  was  a 


390  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

popular  outcry  for  the  Bishop  to  defend  himself 
from  the  charge  of  ecclesiastical  tyranny.  This 
affected  him  not  a  whit;  but  he  did  feel  the  unjust 
and  damaging  comments  in  the  press,  almost  be- 
wildered that  such  sentiments  could  be  stirred  up 
against  him.  Besides  this  he  resented  the  circulation 
of  a  pamphlet  containing  anonymous  letters  de- 
rogatory to  himself,  and  he  was  hurt  by  the  fact  that 
business  men,  with  whom  he  was  on  friendly  terms, 
could  be  connected  with  its  publication  and  sale. 
The  documents  preserved  show  how  patiently  he  dealt 
with  the  parties  concerned,  how  slowly  he  came  to 
the  final  step  of  inhibition,  how  careful  he  was  to 
bring  no  unnecessary  personal  reproach.  That  he 
cherished  ill-will  towards  any  concerned  there  was 
no  evidence  from  first  to  last.  His  joy  and  relief,  when 
the  suit  closed  favorably  and  all  unpleasantness  was 
ended,  showed  itself  in  the  fact  that  among  his  papers 
were  treasured  the  many  messages  and  letters  of 
congratulation  he  received  from  sympathizing  friends 
within  and  without  the  diocese. 

Bishop  Huntington  attended  the  Triennial  Conven- 
tion at  Minneapolis  in  1895,  the  last  at  which  he  was 
ever  present.  He  had  hoped  to  be  at  the  opening  ser- 
vice in  his  old  beloved  Emmanuel  in  Boston  in  1904. 
In  October,  1895,  from  Minnesota,  he  wrote  to  his  son 
a  detailed  account  of  the  visit  to  Faribault,  the  scene 
of  George  Huntington's  early  experience  in  teaching. 
Of  the  proceedings  he  says:  "The  temper  is  amiable 
and  there  is  not  a  great  deal  of  party-spirit.  The  old 
party-lines  have  disappeared.  Nothing  is  said  about 
ritualism,  pro  or  con.  Two  'tendencies '  appear,  but  it 
is  not  easy  to  define  them;  perhaps  ' ecclesiasticism ' 


THE    ROAD    UPHILL  391 

and  'evangelicalism'  would  do  for  terms.  But  the 
lines  cross,  and  the  types  mix.  There  is  a  queer  hy- 
brid of  'Broad  Church'  and  'Sacerdotalism,'  with  a 
leaning  to  titular  fads  and  external  display.  The 
worst  of  it  is  that  the  philosophy  at  the  bottom  of  it, 
if  it  has  any  bottom,  is  Pantheism,  confounding  Hu- 
manity and  Deity." 

Hadley,  Aug.  30,  '96. 

To  HIS  Son. 

My  dear  James :  —  Tuesday  I  drove  to  B.  for  a  St. 
Bartholomew  Celebration  in  a  tiny  Congregational 
Chapel  for  the  sake  of  a  few  summer  boarders.  I 
found  the  roads  lovely  along  the  north  base  of  Holy- 
oke,  the  stone  walls  picturesque,  and  the  Pansy- 
farm  in  Logtown  brilliant  in  floral  beauty. 

D.  is  pathetically  the  same,  —  an  unconscious 
philosopher,  an  amiable  pessimist.  He  asked  about 
you,  regarding  your  life,  I  suppose,  as  a  harmless 
insoluble  mystery. 

It  is  one  of  the  deHcious,  tender,  still  autumnal 
Sundays  —  the  first  faint  touch  of  color  on  the  woods, 
a  thin  light  haze  along  the  hills,  the  veil  deepening  the 
beauty  and  making  it  more  fascinating,  by  mystery 
—  imagination  widening  the  narrow  realm  of  know- 
ledge and  sense.  The  cattle  seem  to  dream,  lying 
in  the  pastures.  This  morning  I  took  the  service  and 
preached  at  Grace  Church,  Amherst,  and  now  Mary 
and  I  are  going  out  to  the  five  o'clock  Prayers  —  after 
I  look  for  some  forget-me-nots  and  cardinal  flowers. 

Syracuse,  June  1,  1897. 
To  L.  T.  G. 

Three  weeks  from  to-day,  D.  V.,  we  mean  to  ex- 
change our  favored  dwelling  here,  in  the  smart  city 


392  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

on  the  scene  of  my  ever  busy  labors,  for  the  blessed 
stillness,  deep  breaths  and  invisibly  peopled  solitude 
of  the  old  Hadley  Homestead,  —  broken  only  by  the 
songs  of  many  birds,  the  voices  of  cattle  and  the 
farm,  of  my  companionable  and  watchful  mastiff  and 
St.  Bernard,  and  the  steam-whistle  deHciously  distant, 
and  the  whispers  and  breezes  in  the  elms. 

Yesterday  I  traveled  fifty  miles,  preached,  con- 
firmed and  traveled  back  late  at  night;  got  up  this 
morning  before  six,  traveled  twenty  miles,  preached 
and  confirmed  again;  traveled  back  and  held  a 
service  in  the  Hospital  and  visited  patients  and  have 
written  several  hours. 

Hadley,  Aug.  22,  '97. 
To  Mrs.  Huntington. 

We  are  getting  through  the  Second  Sunday.  All 
days  here  are  Sabbatic,  —  but  some  nameless,  inde- 
scribable, felt  secret  in  the  air  makes  the  hour  different 
from  all  others.  The  Hatfield  evening  bell  has  sent 
its  tender  notes  across  the  river :  the  wood  pewee  is 
singing  his  pathetic  song  in  the  orchard;  the  August 
cricket  is  piping.  A.  is  taking  the  vagrant  dog  to  his 
supper;  all  else  is  still  after  another  thundershower. 
That  bell  made  me  homesick  for  my  mother  when 
I  was  a  child;  now  for  you. 

Next  Sunday  I  am  to  pray  and  preach  at  the  old 
Hadley  Meeting-house,  the  minister  being  away. 
At  my  north-window  "  fast  falls  the  Eventide, "  and  I 
must  say  good-night. 

Sykacuse,  Jan.,  '98. 

To  T.  E.  P. 

To  some  extent  it  is  true,  I  think,  that  as  the  years 
go  on  all  the  Feasts  have  their  interest  and  gladness. 


THE    ROAD    UPHILL  393 

chiefly  in  the  Hght  and  gladness  they  bring  to  others 
rather  than  ourselves.  Life  becomes  such  a  serious 
thing  to  us,  suffering  and  dissatisfaction  form  so  large  an 
ingredient  in  the  cup;  we  find  it  wisest  and  best  to  seek 
our  pleasure  and  content  in  what  we  can  do  for  those 
around  us,  and  in  the  particular  duties  near  at  hand. 

Syracuse,  Jan.  2,  1898. 
To  J.  I.  T.  C. 

The  older  I  grow  (and  now  I  can  say  "  next  year" 
of  the  eightieth)  the  more  religion  and  the  more 
philosophy  I  discover  in  "  living  by  the  day."  For  the 
rest  we  must  wait  till  the  promised  conditions  of 
another  and  far  better  age  of  experience  shall  give 
us  a  larger  and  closer  vision  and  a  deeper  acquaintance 
with  the  plans  and  purposes  of  God.  This  rule  seems 
to  apply  to  the  public  affairs  of  the  Nation  and  even 
of  the  Church,  as  well  as  to  the  private  experience.  I 
take  it  as  a  sign  that  you  have  a  healthier  spirit  and  a 
finer  faith  than  mine  that  you  are  able  to  look  so 
hopefully  and  cheerfully  on  the  world  as  it  is  and  the 
times  we  are  living  in.  Stoutly  as  I  struggle  not  to 
shiver  among  the  pessimists,  I  confess  it  requires  some 
effort  to  see  signs  of  increasing  devotion,  sacrifice, 
faith,  spiritual  power.  But  the  future  is  not  ours. 
And  if  you,  who  observe  from  your  post  of  watchman, 
see  the  condition  optimistically,  surely  I,  more  kept  in 
the  midst  of  the  hurly-burly,  ought  not  to  despair 
or  even  to  despond.  The  future  is  not  ours.  "  The 
Lord  reigneth."  Jesus  Christ  is  the  same,  yesterday, 
to-day  and  forever.  I  give  thanks  for  countless  mercies. 

"  Dews  in  the  vale  are  softly  shed, 

I  hear  the  sheep-bells  ring  the  chime. 


394  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

O  heart  of  mine,  be  quieted. 

God  will  give  rest  at  evening  time." 

March  18,  '98. 

To  W.  H.  V.  A. 

My  Fellow-Laborer  together  with  God  :  —  Turning, 
from  your  luminous  exposition,  at  once  comprehensive 
and  condensed,  one  finds  himself  asking,  —  Why 
is  it  that  this  fair  picture  of  a  righteous  Society  on  the 
earth,  where  justice  and  good-will,  order  and  equity, 
love  and  peace,  are  the  governing  principles  of  in- 
dustry and  trade,  commerce  and  government,  — 
why  is  it  that  it  remains  a  picture  only,  with  no  cor- 
responding original  or  reality,  in  any  continent  or 
comer  of  the  round  world,  sixty  generations  after 
the  Son  of  Man  proclaimed  His  Commonwealth?  It 
is  a  hard  question,  a  saddening  question,  an  appal- 
ling question.  It  requires  not  only  a  disciplined  faith 
but  stout  nerves,  a  sound  liver,  and  a  good  digestion 
to  entertain  it  without  dark  dismay.  You  have  said  in  a 
clear,  consecutive,  reasonable  and  fervent  discourse 
what  ought  to  be  said  on  the  great  subject,  what 
most  needed  to  be  said,  and  the  greater  part  of  what 
there  really  was  to  be  said.  I  am  proudly  glad  that  I 
could  put  you  in  my  own  place  in  Cleveland. 

In  my  youth  I  used  to  give  Peace  addresses.  I  don't 
remember  anything  that  I  should  want  to  take  back. 
We  are  disciples  of  the  Prince  of  Peace.  But  Peace 
has  its  price,  —  Right  must  sometimes  be  fought  for. 
There  are  "wars  of  the  Lord."  The  sufferings  of  a 
single  campaign  or  battle  are  justified  if  they  give 
emancipation  and  liberty  to  ages  following.  I  think 
^  a  war  against  Spaniards  in  behalf  of  Cubans  would 
be  approved  of  Heaven. 


THE    ROAD    UPHILL  395 

In  his  address  to  the  Convention  the  following  June, 
the  Bishop  alluded  to  the  subject  referred  to  at  the 
close  of  the  preceding  letter. 

"  You  may  perhaps  expect  me  to  say  something 
about  the  war.  There  is  much  about  it  of  which  I 
ought  to  say  nothing,  because  I  do  not  understand 
it,  and  much  that  might  be  said  has  been  well  enough 
said  already.  So  far  as  the  motive  of  the  war  is  humane, 
it  presents  a  spectacle  of  national  altruism  well-nigh 
unprecedented  in  history.  Nobody  but  fools  can 
expect  it  to  be  ended  till  the  Spanish  despotism  is 
broken.  Nobody  but  fiends  can  wish  it  to  be  pro- 
longed. Nobody  but  atheists  can  doubt  that  it  will  be 
overruled  by  Almighty  God.  Nobody  but  traitors  can 
refuse  to  share  patriotically  in  its  sacrifices." 

Some  allusion  has  already  been  made  to  the  un- 
happy separation  of  the  parish  of  St.  James,  Syracuse, 
from  its  Chief  Pastor,  during  the  months  of  dis- 
affection caused  by  his  inhibitory  letter  to  their  min- 
ister. In  the  years  subsequent  he  took  a  personal 
interest  in  its  reestablishment,  but  financial  diffi- 
culties increased,  consequent  upon  a  heavy  mortgage 
incurred  at  the  time  when  an  attractive  edifice  on 
James  Street  replaced  the  old  structure  destroyed  by 
fire.  After  making  great  efforts  to  retain  the  property, 
it  passed  out  of  the  hands  of  the  wardens  and  vestry 
by  foreclosure  sale.  Through  the  courtesy  of  the  pur- 
chaser the  parish  continued  occupancy  until  the 
autumn  of  1898,  when  all  hope  for  the  future  seemed 
gone.  This  was  the  source  of  much  distress  to  the 
Bishop,  who  valued  highly  the  history  of  the  first 
church  in  the  diocese  opened  on  the  plan  of  free- 
will offerings,   under  such  faithful    rectors  as    Rev. 


396  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

Henry  Gregory  and  Rev.  Joseph  M.  Clarke.  Faith 
and  courage  met  their  reward  when  in  response  to 
the  Bishop's  appeals,  mainly  from  three  friends  at  a 
distance,  the  whole  amount  necessary  to  redeem  the 
property  was  put  into  his  hands.  When  a  telegram 
brought  the  last  large  subscription,  on  the  eve  of 
actual  abandonment,  he  came  into  the  room  where 
his  family  were  sitting,  and,  after  a  moment's  silence, 
remarked  impressively,  "  I  feel  like  saying,  *  Depart 
from  me,  for  I  am  a  sinful  man,  O  Lord.'  "  The  jo}^ul 
occasion  of  the  consecration  took  place  a  few  weeks 
later,  Nov.  22,  1898,  and  was  of  such  significance 
to  the  Bishop,  who  had  now,  by  purchase,  a  place  of 
worship  in  the  centre  of  the  city,  under  his  own  care, 
that  he  sent  for  his  sons  to  be  present  and  take  part 
in  the  services.  With  the  full  concurrence  of  all  con- 
cerned, the  title  was  vested  in  the  Parochial  Fund  of 
the  diocese,  a  board  of  trustees  appointed,  and  the 
name  changed  to  the  Church  of  the  Saviour.  Hence- 
forth this  was  the  Bishop's  Church,  although  he 
never  called  it  a  Cathedral. 

Syracuse,  Dec,  1898. 
To  M.  C.  M. 

Here  our  busy  life  goes  on  —  and  we  can  hardly 
stop  to  think.  The  marvelous  course  of  events  that 
brought  the  Church  of  the  Saviour  suddenly  into 
my  personal  ownership,  and  so  transformed  every- 
thing about  it,  is  almost  a  new  epoch  in  my  long  life, 
as  gratifying  as  it  was  unexpected.  To  have  a  Church 
and  services  of  my  own,  is  indeed,  delightful.  There 
are  not  many  people,  but  we  hope  to  gather  a  flock 
by  hard  and  patient  work. 


THE    ROAD    UPHILL  397 

Walnut  Place,  Dec.  22.  '98. 

To  C.  A.  F. 

Puritan  Day  and  Church  Day  come  near  together 
—  both,  I  trust,  to  the  honor  of  Him  who  came  to 
bring  Peace  and  Good-will  on  this  disturbed  and  con- 
fused and  too  warlike  earth.  I  find  it  difficult  to  ac- 
commodate my  old  ideas,  in  my  eightieth  year,  to  the 
new  notions.  But  old  friendships  and  old  friends 
remain,  in  spite  of  armies  and  battles  and  politics, 
and  the  wear  and  tear  of  time. 

Our  blessings  are  many.  My  unexpected  resump- 
tion of  Parish  duties  is  both  a  joy  and  a  care.  H. 
and  the  girls  say  it  makes  me  ten  years  younger.  But 
they  can't  change  the  record  of  the  Almanac  and  the 
Family  Bible. 

I  have  read  of  the  architectural  changes  at  "  Em- 
manuel." Of  course  it  cannot  be  to  me  what  it  has 
been.  Nothing  external  is  changeless.  It  would  be  a 
sad  thing  to  think  of,  if  the  inner  traces  of  my  nine 
years'  service  should  be  as  evanescent  as  the  fashion 
of  the  building.  Grateful  for  the  Past  we  can  count 
it  chief  among  our  Christmas  satisfactions  that  we 
have  "  a  building  of  God,  not  made  with  hands." 

With  affectionate  remembrance  of  you  all. 

Faithfully, 
F.  D.  H. 

Jan.  22,  1899. 
I  have  come  in  from  Sunday  service  at  the  Church 
of  the  Saviour,  full  of  interest  to  me,  where  I  preach 
a  good  deal,  but  I  have  no  time  for  Pastoral  services, 
and  am  therefore  discontented.  No  Parish  can  prosper 
without  them. 


398  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

Syracuse,  March  10,  '99. 

To  E.  H.  C. 

My  dear  Brother :  —  At  your  desire  I  will  try  to  reach 
Utica  soon  after  three,  and  will  go  directly  to  the 
Parsonage.  There  is  no  occasion  for  the  formality 
of  meeting  me  at  the  Station.  The  special  confirma- 
tion service  on  week-days  is  quite  short.  If  I  follow 
my  own  preference  I  shall  preach  a  sermon  from  the 
pulpit.  My  idea  is  that,  with  present  prevailing  world- 
liness  and  religious  apathy,  within  the  Church  and 
without,  especially  at  this  season,  the  voice  of  the 
pulpit  should  be  searching  and  solemn  rather  than 
cheering  and  encouraging.  Short  addresses  are  well 
enough,  but  they  are  apt,  I  fear,  to  leave  an  impression 
that  is  fragmentary  and  superficial. 

I  hardly  ever  stay  away  from  home  now  over  night. 
I  do  it,  in  this  instance,  on  account  of  what  I  suppose 
to  suit  the  industries  of  the  St.  Andrew's  people. 

May  the  Holy  Spirit  bless  your  preparations,  and 
grant  us  a  token  of  His  presence  and  power. 

With  sincere  affection  and  confidence,  and  joy  in 
your  hearty  good-will, 

F.  D.  Huntington. 

The  relations  of  a  bishop  to  his  clergy  and  through 
them  to  his  flock  are  too  manifold  and  often  too  per- 
sonal to  be  dealt  with  satisfactorily  in  a  slight  sketch 
of  a  single  prelate.  Much  of  the  labor  for  the  parishes 
seems  like  mere  organization :  the  filling  of  vacancies, 
the  placing  of  substitutes,  the  provision  for  church 
building,  the  hearing  and  settling  of  unimportant 
differences  between  members  of  vestries,  sometimes 
between  the  minister  and  his  people.    But  in  all  these 


THE    ROAD    UPHILL  399 

an  element  is  introduced  which  requires  patience, 
consideration,  and  justice.  In  these  qualities  Bishop 
Huntington  was  not  wanting;  indeed,  his  concern  for 
the  maintenance  of  good-will  inclined  him  to  give  un- 
wearied attention  to  everything  which  affected  the 
harmony  of  a  congregation.  His  sympathy  for  the 
poorly  paid  incumbents  of  the  country  cures  was 
very  great.  It  was  a  continual  sorrow  to  him  that  the 
resources  of  the  Missionary  Board  and  the  low  esti- 
mate placed  upon  the  services  of  a  preacher  kept 
salaries  so  low.  Like  other  bishops  similarly  placed, 
he  endeavored  as  far  as  possible  to  ease  the  burden 
through  such  gifts  as  he  could  make  with  the  means 
at  his  command.  When  he  had  occasion  to  rebuke, 
it  was  with  sternness,  sometimes  hastily,  and  in  what 
bore  the  appearance  of  an  arbitrary  temper.  In  old 
age,  trifles  irritated  him,  especially  in  the  line  of  his 
temperamental  prejudices.  Some  things  he  never 
patiently  tolerated,  acts  which  he  considered  intrusive 
in  the  conduct  of  worship,  or  marks  of  individual 
deference  which  he  deemed  uncalled  for. 

Such  an  incident  was  related  by  one  of  his  clergy. 
"He  was  always  ready  with  a  certain  quickness  of 
temper  to  resent  any  homage  paid  to  himself;  and 
his  disgust  at  being  made  an  object  of  foolish  ad- 
miration was  always  profound  and  sometimes  ener- 
getic. I  once  heard  him  protest  with  a  kind  of  whim- 
sical fierceness,  very  disconcerting  to  a  maladroit 
young  clergyman,  who  sought  to  force  him  into  an 
eminence  which  he  refused,  'Your  Bishop,  sir,  is 
neither  a  sage  nor  a  hero,  but  only  an  old  servant  of  the 
Master,  who  amid  many  humbling  limitations  and 
many  humiliating  failures   is   doing  what  he  can.'" 


400  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

His  own  sensitiveness  was  easily  wounded  by  dis- 
trust or  want  of  confidence,  and  to  a  corresponding 
extent  he  was  ready  to  make  amends  if  he  found  he 
had  done  unconscious  wrong  or  censured  too  severely. 
When  he  had  cause  to  make  unsparing  criticism, 
either  of  the  substance  of  a  sermon  or  some  ill-advised 
action,  he  would  take,  pains  afterwards  to  express 
commendation.  Towards  those  from  whom  he 
differed  he  strove  to  be  perfectly  fair,  however  strong 
his  predispositions  to  the  contrary  might  be.  An 
illustration  of  this  was  given  in  one  of  the  memorial 
sermons  preached  in  a  Central  New  York  pulpit 
after  his  death.  "His  soul  abhorred  show,  ostenta- 
tion, and  pageant.  This  naturally  extended  towards 
change  or  innovation  in  the  matter  of  the  text  of  the 
ritual  laid  down  in  the  Prayer-book,  or  established 
by  long  custom.  In  the  early  days  of  his  episcopate, 
the  revival  of  ritual  and  ceremonial  in  the  Church 
disturbed  and  annoyed  him.  Yet  here  the  man  of 
integrity  manifested  itself."  *  The  speaker  then 
referred  to  a  "  Pastoral "  issued  by  the  Bishop  several 
years  before,  in  which  he  protested  against  the  use 
of  wafers  in  the  Sacrament,  not  only  on  the  ground 
that  it  was  not  a  primitive  practice,  but  arguing 
that  the  material  in  itself  was  not  bread.  When 
convinced  by  some  of  his  clergy  of  his  error  in  this 
particular,  he  sent  out  another  letter  withdrawing  that 
form  of  his  objection. 

With  only  a  few  of   his  presbyters  was  he  really 
intimate,    but   with   them   he   was    very   unreserved, 
putting  entire  faith  in  their  discretion.     He  was  ex- 
ceedingly   unwilling    ever   to    suspect   anything   like 
^  Rev.  A.  L.  Byron-Curtiss. 


THE   ROAD   UPHILL  401 

double-dealing  in  those  with  whom  he  associated, 
giving  implicit  confidence.  No  doubt  this  led  to  mis- 
takes which  were  ascribed  to  the  weakness  of  indiscrim- 
inate sympathy,  but  were  rather  due  to  the  habit  of 
attributing  to  others  an  honesty  of  purpose  which  was 
a  distinguishing  trait  of  his  own  character.  On  the 
loyalty  and  devotion  of  his  clergy  he  had  good  reason 
to  depend,  and  it  was  a  constant  subject  of  gratitude. 
He  rejoiced  especially  in  the  progress  of  the  young 
men  who  studied  with  him,  and  was  ready  to  advance 
their  interests  even  at  a  loss  to  himself.  Although  he 
strictly  exacted  the  service  of  the  diaconate,  he  never 
tried  to  retain  a  priest  when  a  call  came  to  a  wider 
field  of  usefulness.  It  was  always  a  matter  of  pride 
with  him  that  he  was  largely  instrumental  in  sending 
one  of  his  most  trusted  presbyters  to  a  Missionary 
Bishopric.  Another,  who  exchanged  a  city  parish 
for  one  in  an  adjoining  diocese,  said  in  a  memorial 
sermon :  — 

"  The  simplicity  of  his  mode  of  living  at  once  awed 
and  won.  Here  one  saw  the  actual  embodiment  of 
that  high  thinking  and  plain  living  so  much  extolled, 
so  rarely  practiced  even  by  bishops.  The  strength 
and  dignity  of  his  conversation,  redolent  with  wis- 
dom and  lightened  by  flashes  of  humor,  mingled  with 
strains  of  pungent  shrewdness,  attracted,  stimulated, 
and  uplifted.  You  felt  the  touch  of  a  widely  observing 
man,  but  chiefly  realized  the  sanctifying  power  of  the 
man  of  God.  In  the  homes  of  the  clergy  he  left  the 
abiding  benediction  of  a  sane  saintliness,  and  every- 
where he  kept  alive  men's  innate  respect  for  religious 
reality  and  the  seriousness  of  life."  * 
^  Rev.  Wm.  D.  Maxon. 


402  FREDERIC   DAN    HUNTINGTON 

In  the  same  month  as  the  consecration  of  the  Church 
of  the  Saviour,  Syracuse,  a  similar  ceremony  took 
place  at  St.  Joseph's,  Rome,  almost  as  joyful  to  the 
Bishop,  who  held  close  relations  to  the  parish  from 
its  beginning.  In  the  autumn  of  1876  a  congregation 
of  Germans,  under  the  Roman  obedience,  had  become 
alienated  from  their  own  communion  and  applied 
to  Bishop  Huntington  for  a  pastor.  There  was  a  good 
property,  although  heavily  encumbered.  The  whole 
number,  about  fifty  families,  was  received  formally 
by  Bishop  Huntington,  and  a  German  clergjinan 
placed  in  charge.  Through  many  discouragements 
the  people  held  bravely  together  and  the  parish 
prospered,  a  gradual  accession  of  English-speaking 
members  taking  place.  The  discharge  of  the  in- 
debtedness was  a  matter  of  deep  anxiety  to  the  head 
of  the  diocese,  and  its  final  accomplishment,  in  great 
measure  through  his  own  persistent  efforts,  filled 
him  with  thankfulness. 

On  the  feast  of  the  Annunciation,  1898,  Bishop 
Huntington  preached  the  sermon  at  the  consecration 
of  Rev.  Henry  Satterlee  as  Bishop  of  Washington. 
Dr.  Satterlee  in  asking  this  service  wrote  to  him: 
"As  the  question  of  Churchmanship  was  foremost 
in  my  mind  when  I  decided  to  accept  the  new  Bishop- 
ric, I  turn  to  you  with  almost  a  passion  of  longing, 
and  in  the  hope  that  the  first  seed  of  those  new  tra- 
ditions that  will  grow  up  in  the  new  diocese  will  be 
planted  in  your  sermon.  I  think  that  many  of  the 
clergy  of  Washington  are  going  to  be  present.  They 
will  be  both  in  a  receptive  mood  for  the  highest  truths 
of  the  Incarnation  and  for  receiving  their  bishop  as 
the  *  Witness  of  the  Resurrection,'  and  you  are  the 


THE    ROAD    UPHILL  403 

one  of  all  others,  to  speak  that  word.    Please  do  not 
say  naz/." 

Hadley,  Aug.  24,  '99. 

To  L.  S.  H. 

Our  summer  has  been  graciously  ordered,  with 
about  the  usual  amount  of  desired  and  needed  stillness. 
The  position  here,  and  our  past,  make  the  place  one 
of  a  great  deal  of  coming  and  going,  —  a  kind  of 
social  and  kinsfolk  Caravansary.  But  there  has  been 
no  sickness  or  accident.  The  atmospheres  have  been 
singularly  luminous;  the  sunsets  so  full  of  glow  and 
beauty  as  to  make  one  wish  that  they  might  be  fair 
symbols  of  the  final  sunset  that  is  in  another  Western 
sky. 

We  have  been  a  great  deal  in  the  open  air.  This 
week  all  our  children  have  been  with  us,  and  all 
Ruth's  children,  with  their  father,  and  George's 
daughter  Catharine,  a  rich  blessing.  I  have  preached 
but  once,  and  then  to  a  Congregational  flock  across 
the  river.  Silence  suits  me  best.  Mary  has  gone 
to-day  to  Boston  with  our  friend  Canon  Benham's 
daughter,  from  London,  our  visitor  for  a  month. 

Syracuse,  April  1,  1901. 
To  HIS  Granddaughter,  H.  S.  S. 

Your  description  of  the  water  and  the  land,  and 
sky  and  cloud,  at  the  bridge,  renewed  my  homesick 
wish,  that  it  was  my  lot  to  live  in  that  Valley  of  beauty 
and  vision  all  the  year  round.  I  shall  never  have  any 
other  "Home"  in  this  world.  To  have  been  bom 
there  is  one  of  my  three  chief  blessings.  To  have  open 
eyes,   bodily  and   mental  eyes,   for  natural   scenery, 


404  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

for  landscape  and  the  shapings  and  Hght  of  clouds 
you  will  find  a  lifelong  source  of  delight,  satisfaction, 
and  religious  comfort.  The  writer  who  does  most,  I 
think,  to  quicken  and  kindle  that  relish  is  Ruskin, 
especially  in  "  Modem  Painters." 

Walnut  Place,  May  29,  1901. 
To  M.  N.  T. 

There  can  be  no  question  of  the  manifest  superiority 
of  the  hymn  of  Lampertus.  I  shall  keep  this  version 
among  my  hymnic  treasures,  with  the  Dies  Irce  and  the 
*'  Mother  dear."  Gilmore's  "  He  leadeth  me  "  (our  616) 
always  affects  me,  with  the  music,  when  I  hear  it  sung. 
You  remember  old  "  Hymns  for  the  Church  of  Christ "  ? 
Last  week  some  one  sent  me  from  Boston  a  copy  of  the 
Programme  of  the  great  Unitarian  Anniversary 
Festival.  To  my  utter  surprise  it  appeared  that  a 
hymn  of  mine,  of  which  I  had  quite  forgotten  the 
authorship  or  the  existence,  was  sung  in  chorus  by 
the  multitude.  I  take  it  as  a  proof  of  Edward  Hale's 
genuine  liberality.  The  same  mail  brought  me  a 
most  cordial  birthday  greeting  from  our  R.  C. 
Bishop  Ludden,  here.  Can  the  Millennium  be  at 
hand  ? 

During  the  winter  of  1902  there  was  the  first  ac- 
knowledged slackening  of  the  Bishop's  wonderful  vi- 
tality. A  few  lines  printed  in  the  "  Gospel  Messenger," 
touchingly  express  his  consciousness  of  enfeebled  en- 
ergies.^ 

1  The  Gospel  Messenger,  November,  1902:  "An  Old  Man's  Old 
Testament  Petitions." 


THE    ROAD    UPHILL  405 

'  Far  on,  from  hill  to  hill,  ray  road  runs,  O  my  friendliest  Friend! 

Less  free  my  plodding  feet,  less  sure  my  step,  less  keen  my  sight. 
Yet  in  the  fading  West  keep  for  me  to  the  end 

Thy  morning  pledge  —  '  At  evening-time  it  shall  be  light! ' " 


Syracuse,  April  2,  1902. 
To  M.  C.  M. 

I  shall  not  go  this  month  to  the  meeting  of  the 
House  of  Bishops,  in  Cincinnati.  Limits  are  Provi- 
dentially set  in  the  eighty-third  year  for  hard  under- 
takings. Mercies  are  abundant  in  home  and  Diocese, 
but  liberty  and  endurance  are  less.  No,  I  was  not  of 
any  Millionaire's  party,  not  I !  Some  of  my  utterances 
would  hardly  suit  them,  though  I  mean  to  be  fair  to 
them.  Money  is  a  good  servant,  but  a  dangerous 
master  —  and  worldliness  is  the  anti-Christ  of  our 
age  and  land. 

The  Willowdale  Mission  has  already  been  men- 
tioned. The  Bishop  wrote  of  it:  "When  the  time 
comes  for  the  whole  story,  it  will  need  a  rare  biographer. 
Probably  I  shall  not  be  here  to  read  it;  but  my  know- 
ledge of  the  woman,  saturated  and  steeped  in  con- 
fiding love,  is  better."  In  a  letter  to  her  at  Eastertide, 
1898:  "Whether  there  is  peace  or  war  among  the 
nations,  on  land  or  sea,  there  will  be  a  holy  happiness 
with  you.  I  expect  to  be  with  two  or  three  Flocks 
here.  How  many  more  Easters  can  an  Octogenarian 
expect  to  keep  ?  Will  you  not  give  an  Athanasian  greet- 
ing to  dear  C.  S.  for  me  ?  " 

In  1901  he  wrote,  planning  for  his  visit  thither  a  trip 
to  include  two  confirmations  and  three  drives,  be- 
tween early  morning  and  night :  "  I  shall  get  a  con- 
veyance in  Geneva,  and  trouble  nobody  in  mind,  body, 


406  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

or  pocket.  A  rule  of  prudence  requires  me  to  pass 
nights  at  home.  I  am  bidden  to  confine  my  pubhc 
performances  —  which  will  be  daily  and  almost 
continuous  till  Convention  —  to  the  simple  admin- 
istration of  the  Ordinance  of  Confirmation.  Social 
incidents,  hospitalities,  such  as  I  have  often  enjoyed 
under  your  roof  must  be  set  aside.  These  are  signs 
that  I  am  traveling  towards  sunset." 
And  once  more :  — 

Syeacuse,  May  31,  1902. 
To  M.  E.  H. 

My  dear  M.,  dearly  beloved:  —  The  hurry-scurry 
of  this  week  and  month  is  nearly  over,  and  to-morrow 
is  Rest,  and  so  is  the  Great  To-morrow. 

My  journal  shows  a  mixed  record,  but  mostly 
of  good  things,  and  all  of  God's  mercies,  —  six  ordi- 
nations of  Deacons,  and  one  of  Priests,  and  ever  so 
many  confirmations.  Bishop  Walker  has  made  me 
a  little  visit,  and  evidently  enjoyed  his  generous 
service  all  around. 

Pray  for  the  perilous  election  of  a  Coadjutor. 

At  the  Diocesan  Convention  in  June,  1893,  Bishop 
Huntington  signified  his  Canonical  consent  to  the 
election  of  a  Coadjutor.  Pending  any  further  action 
provision  was  made  that  he  should  have  such  assist- 
ance in  Episcopal  duties  as  should  become  necessary. 
A  sum  was  also  set  apart  to  afford  him  the  aid  of 
a  secretary.  To  this  post  he  appointed  Dr.  Joseph  M. 
Clarke,  a  godly  and  esteemed  presb}i;er,  to  whom  he 
was  indebted  for  many  valuable  offices,  although  he 
seldom  found  it  possible  to  avail  himself  of  help  in 


THE    ROAD    UPHILL  407 

his  correspondence.  As  the  years  passed,  the  bishops 
of  Montana  and  of  Western  New  York  both  kindly 
held  confirmations  at  times  when  the  Bishop  of  the 
diocese  was  disabled,  and  the  question  of  permanently 
lightening  the  duties  of  the  Episcopate,  brought  up 
at  succeeding  Conventions,  was  finally  left  to  the 
Standing  committee,  awaiting  further  action  of  the 
Bishop.  In  May,  1902,  age  and  infirmity  pressed  so 
heavily  that  with  much  reluctance  Bishop  Huntington 
felt  compelled  to  ask  for  relief.  A  notice  was  sent 
by  him  to  the  clergy,  parishes,  and  missions,  an- 
nouncing his  intention  to  request  the  election  of  a 
Coadjutor  at  the  coming  Convention.  Pursuant  to 
this  decision,  action  was  immediately  taken  to  make 
suitable  provision  for  an  assistant,  and  the  solemn 
choice  was  made  on  June  11,  1902,  of  the  Rev.  Charles 
Tyler  Olmsted,  Vicar  of  St.  Agnes'  Church,  New 
York,  as  Coadjutor  Bishop  of  Central  New  York. 
The  event  was  one  of  unmitigated  satisfaction  to 
Bishop  Huntington,  who  had  already  learned  to 
bestow  confidence  and  affection  upon  one  who  was 
for  fifteen  years  a  presbyter  of  his  own  diocese,  while 
rector  of  Grace  Church,  Utica,  and  who  in  church- 
manship  and  character  approved  himself  as  a  faithful 
watchman  and  shepherd  of  the  flock. 

The  consecration  took  place  on  October  2,  at 
Grace  Church,  Utica,  Bishop  Huntington  acting  as 
the  presiding  bishop. 

Syracuse,  May  29,  1902. 
To  M.  C.  M. 

We  hope  to  get  off  to  Hadley  before  the  26th  of  June. 
If  the  Convention  elects  a  Coadjutor,  there  will  be 
of  course  unusual  interest.     Pray  for  us  that  there 


408  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

may  not  be  prejudice,  or  partisanship,  or  needless 
excitement.  My  need  of  relief  and  help  is  beyond 
question,  for  the  infirmities  of  age  are  coming  on. 

Hadley,  July  11,  1902. 

To  G.  C.  R. 

Letters  from  all  parts  of  the  Diocese  show  a  general 
contentment  with  the  election.  The  papers  are  in  due 
preparation  and  there  seems  to  be  no  reason  why  the 
consecration  should  not,  D.  V.,  take  place  towards 
the  end  of  September.  All  the  appointments  —  time, 
place,  Consecrator,  Presenter,  preacher  —  are  subject 
to  the  direction  of  the  Presiding  Bishop  or  his  Deputy. 
On  all  these  matters  there  is  no  voice  of  authority 
except  the  omniscient  newspaper.  The  rest  is  con- 
jecture. 

The  stillness  here  is  delicious.  We  do  not  feel  the 
world's  rush;  certainly  we  do  not  hear  its  roar.  Did 
you  see  Jerome's  sarcasm  at  the  ''Springfield  Re- 
publican;" the  Paper  that  holds  that  "whatever 
is  is  wrong ".^  It  has  another  maxim:  "Whatever  is 
wrong  is  to  be  made  right  by  being  exposed  or  shown 
up." 

Haying  is  late.  I  spend  most  of  my  time  in  the 
three  R.'s  —  reading,  writing,  and  riding,  not  "  'rith- 
metic  "  —  with  a  liberal  allowance  for  sleep.  There 
is  some  pain  and  I  can  walk  but  little. 

I  have  myself  an  abiding  belief  that  all  classes  of 
sensible  and  thoughtful  men  keep,  deep  down  in  their 
better  minds,  —  even  the  "  men  of  the  world  "  them- 
selves, —  respect  for  those  ministers  of  Christ,  preach- 
ers of  the  Grospel,  and  spiritual  guides  of  souls, 
who  deny  themselves  some  indulgences,  avoid  some 


THE    ROAD    UPHILL  409 

entertainments,  abstain  from  some  political  contests, 
just  because  they  have  a  vocation  to  which  they 
are  in  honor  bound,  provided  they  do  it  in  a  common- 
sense,  cheerful,  modest,  manly  fashion. 

Walnut  Place,  Syracuse,  Sept.  27,  1902. 
To  M.  C.  M. 

We  have  said  a  regretful  good-by  to  the  old  Home, 
the  only  home  I  can  ever  have  in  this  world.  The 
blessings  of  the  summer  have  been  countless  —  chil- 
dren and  grandchildren  coming  and  going,  and  all 
upright;  friends  too,  a  limit  set  to  pain,  a  long  life  con- 
tinued in  peace. 

You  see  I  am  to  have  an  assistant  to  whom  I  can 
assign  my  work  that  I  am  not  equal  to.  His  con- 
secration is  to  be  at  Utica  next  Thursday,  D.  V.  If 
you  get  this,  pray  for  us  specially.  I  believe  he  is  a 
true  man  and  minister. 

Syracuse,  Nov.  19,  1902. 
To  C.  H.  T. 

We  have  neither  some  distresses  nor  bewildering 
exultations.  My  Assistant  saves  me  the  discomfort 
and  weariness  of  travel.  Excepting  a  chronic  and 
painful  lumbago,  my  endurance  and  strength  enable 
me  to  call  myself  well,  and  I  am  thankful  and  content, 
as  I  rejoice  to  observe  you  are. 

That  is  our  ample  estate,  our  wealth,  our  title  for  an 
inheritance  that  fadeth  not  away. 

I  have  just  read  Prof.  James's  "Lectures  on  the 
Varieties  of  Religious  Experience,"  but  get  no  nourish- 
ment or  foothold,  only  a  discovery  that  he  has  no  belief 
of  his  own. 


410  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

The  merciful  Father  grant  you  patience,  and  con- 
tinue your  peace. 

Faithfully  and  cordially, 

F.  D.  Huntington. 


Syracuse,  Feb.  18,  1903. 

To  J.  M. 

We  shall  be  thankful  when  you  shall  have  looked 
long  enough  toward  the  Pacific  sea  and  the  Western 
sky.  Sunsets  are  well  enough  in  their  time  and  place ; 
sometimes  they  are  beautiful  enough  to  be  gateways 
of  glory,  preludes  to  songs  and  splendors  beyond;  but 
after  all,  their  richest  significance  is  that  they  are  a 
preparation  and  fore-token  of  another  Day  and  a 
Light  to  come.  So  if  you  tarry  awhile  in  the  country 
of  evening  it  is  that  you  may  be  refreshed  and  re- 
cruited for  a  to-morrow  of  strength  and  labor  where 
labor  lies  and  loving  hearts  are  watching  and  waiting 
for  you.  It  seems  long.  It  must  seem  longer  to  you, 
without  the  Home  and  the  home-faces  and  voices; 
for  voices  and  faces  alike  reveal  the  soul.  You  can 
realize  the  line  in  Gray's  immortal  Elegy:  "The 
plowman  homeward  plods  his  weary  way." 

Your  plowing  has  been  in  a  large  "field."  Mine 
has  been  small.  I  have  never  spent  so  inactive  a 
winter.  On  Sundays  I  generally  find  Sabba-day  work, 
but  the  other  six  days  I  am  apt  to  be  by  my  wood-fire, 
or  if  I  go  out  in  the  cold,  I  rarely  get  much  further 
than  Salina  Street.  If  somebody  does  n't  stir  me  up  I 
shall  get  incorrigibly  lazy.  The  daily  mail  keeps  me 
awake  till  bedtime,  —  sometimes  with  sympathy, 
sometimes  with  vexation. 


THE    ROAD    UPHILL  411 

Lent  is  coming  and  ought  to  put  us  in  mind  that 
there  is  another  world  than  this  and  a  better  one. 
Most  cordially  and  affectionately, 

F.  D.  Huntington. 

From  Northampton,  where  Bishop  Huntington 
passed  Easter,  1903,  with  his  daughter  and  her  family :  — 

Easter  Day,  —  afternoon. 
To  Mrs.  Huntington. 

"The  Lord  is  Risen!" 

G.  met  me  this  morning  with  Viking.  The  roads 
everywhere  are  alive  with  people.  I  came  back  here 
for  the  service.    The  valley  is  fine  in  the  sunshine. 

Hearing  the  various  accounts  of  men  and  things, 
and  then  passing  out  alone  into  the  unchanged  scenery 
of  the  landscape,  the  contrast  struck  me  between  the 
human  and  the  divine,  the  mortal  and  the  everlasting. 
'*  Lord,  Thou  hast  been  our  dwelling-'place  in  all  gen- 
erations." There,  in  the  graveyard,  was  lying  the  body 
of  the  oldest  of  my  family:  I  the  youngest  moving 
by  it;  many  changes  between  then  and  now,  and  yet 
all  how  transitory !  But  the  Feast  of  the  Resurrection 
survives.  One  act,  one  Person,  one  Morning,  changes 
the  history  of  the  world  and  the  character  of  mankind 
as  a  race. 

Walnut  Place,  May  31,  1903. 
To  M.  N.  T. 

The  years  multiply.  The  surface  of  life  shifts,  the 
figures  change.  But  friendship  and  affections  abide 
unaltered. 

The  last  week,  H.  and  I  have  been  in  Boston  and 
Hadley.    We  had  but  two  days  for  talks  and  duties  in 


412  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

Cambridge  and  the  neighborhood,  except  Sunday 
at  Emmanuel.  It  was  much  impressed  upon  me  how 
many  of  those  I  had  well  known  and  cared  for  had 
gone  —  how  few  are  left. 

The  last  time  when  the  family,  children  and  grand- 
children, were  gathered  together  at  the  old  home- 
stead was  on  Sept.  4,  1903,  in  honor  of  a  rare  event,  — 
the  sixtieth  anniversary  of  the  parents'  marriage. 
Since  the  Golden  Wedding  ten  years  before  no  break 
had  occurred  in  the  circle,  and  two  little  children,  the 
youngest  grandsons,  were  added  to  it.  The  whole 
number  were  together  but  twenty-four  hours,  but  the 
brief  time  passed  in  happy  and  grateful  intercourse, 
and  the  family  prayers  that  morning  in  the  Bishop's 
study  were  a  beautiful  and  solemn  commemoration. 

Another  interest  in  the  occasion,  especially  among 
the  older  grandsons,  members  of  the  sixth  generation 
since  the  house  was  built,  arose  from  the  fact  that  in 
that  month  of  September,  just  one  hundred  and  fifty 
years  had  elapsed  since  Moses  Porter  raised  the  roof- 
tree. 

Syracuse,  Oct.,  1903. 
To  A  Granddaughter,  H.  S.  S. 

It  is  almost  a  month  since  we  were  turned  out  of  the 
Hadley  Paradise  into  the  wide  world.  Perhaps  your 
school-scenery  and  school-life  do  not  feel  exactly  like 
the  wide  world.  But  we  are  better  for  some  limitations- 
They  may  be  large  or  small,  broad  or  narrow,  but 
God's  Providence  has  so  made  us,  and  so  arranged 
the  conditions  of  our  life,  that  it  is  best  for  us  to  act,  to 
work,  to  expend  our  sympathies  and  interest  and  in- 
fluence, within  certain  bounds.    To  be  sure,  it  is  com- 


BISHOP  AND  MRS.  HUNTINGTON,  1895 


THE    ROAD    UPHILL  413 

mon  to  talk  of  "society"  as  if  it  were  something  so 
advantageous  and  profitable  that  the  bigger  it  is,  and 
the  more  one  knows  of  it,  the  better.  But  then  it  is  a 
very  mixed  thing  in  itself  everywhere;  it  is  full  of 
excesses  and  follies  and  dangers ;  it  is  apt  to  be  super- 
ficial; it  may  hurt  the  independence  and  dignity  of 
individual  or  personal  womanhood  or  manhood;  and 
all  that  we  really  need  to  know  of  it  can  generally  be 
learned  in  a  refined  family,  in  a  school  like  yours, 
or  in  a  carefully  chosen  and  guarded  circle. 

Some  people  think  it  is  enough  to  conform  de- 
cently to  the  popular  standard,  without  considering 
that  it  is  every  one's  duty  to  help  make  the  "popular 
standard"  what  it  ought  to  be.  You  will  take  your 
principles  and  rules  of  conduct  and  opinions  from 
a  higher  source  than  the  customs  and  fashions  that 
prevail  about  you.  This  trait,  I  am  glad  to  believe, 
is  hereditary  in  the  Huntington-Phelps  blood. 

Syracuse,  Dec.  19,  1903. 
To  W.  H.  C. 

My  dear  Brother:  —  The  language  of  Canon  17 
seems  to  warrant  you  in  asking  and  allowing  any 
devout  person  to  read  one  or  both  of  the  lessons  at 
morning  or  evening  Prayer,  without  ordination.  This 
privilege  is  not  forfeited,  I  suppose,  by  the  circum- 
stance that  the  lay-reader  may  have  been  made,  or 
has  acted,  as  a  minister,  preacher,  or  pastor,  of  a  non- 
episcopal  congregation. 

If  I  am  ever  disposed  to  desire  a  large  Episcopal 
authority,  it  is  in  order  that  I  may  exercise  a  larger 
liberty  in  setting  aside  some  of  the  more  minute 
rubrical  and  ecclesiastical  prohibitions  and  require- 


414  FREDERIC   DAN   HUNTINGTON 

ments  which  may  be  necessary,  in  their  general  opera- 
tion, to  Church-order  and  regularity,  but  which  do 
sometimes  come  in  conflict  with  reason  or  common 
sense. 

I  wish  you  strength  and  peace,  in  Family  and  Flock, 
at  the  coming  Feast  and  always  and  evermore. 
Affectionately  and  faithfully, 

F.  D.  Huntington. 

Walnut  Place,  Jan.  5,  1904. 

My  dear  George  :  —  If  all  people  that  were 
seeking  the  Truth  had  their  faces  set  one  way,  all 
moving  in  one  direction,  only  at  different  distances, 
and  by  various  and  devious  routes,  the  sermon,  which 
I  have  just  read,  would  be  not  only  able  but  admirable. 
I  wish  I  could  be  sure  that  I  understand  it ;  so  far  as  I 
do,  it  recognizes  no  such  thing  as  false  or  dangerous 
error,  there  is  room  in  God's  plan  for  every  possible 
kind  and  degree  of  heresy.  In  fact  there  is  logically 
no  such  thing  as  heresy.  The  line  between  Truth  and 
Falsehood  disappears;  nobody  can  tell  at  all  where  it 
runs.  "  The  faith  "  is  either  an  abstraction  or  a  phan- 
I  tom.  The  Church  is  the  world  and  everybody  is  a 
Churchman,  Sin  is  utterly  ignored.  Nobody  is  willing 
or  intending  to  do  wrong,  or  to  think  wrong.  Orthodoxy 
is  a  phantasy  or  a  dream.  If  there  is  Catholicity  at  all, 
Doctrine,  Dogma,  is  not  an  element  in  it. 

The  sermon  ends  with  an  open,  distinct,  unqualified 
proclamation  that  the  one  only  condition  of  admission 
to  the  Kingdom  of  God  is  —  Love,  —  which  in  my 
opinion  is  the  one  perilous,  destructive,  plausible,  wide- 
spread and  spreading  delusion  of  Christendom,  the  anti- 
christ that  successfully  tempts  Unitarians,  Universal- 


THE    ROAD    UPHILL  415 

ists,  rationalists,  Broad-Churchmen,  neologists  of  every 
description. 

In  the  division  of  episcopal  duties  with  his  co- 
adjutor, Bishop  Huntington  retained,  as  his  own 
share,  the  ordination  of  priests,  with  visitations  in  the 
fourth  Missionary  district,  comprising  the  city  of 
Syracuse,  Onondaga  and  several  counties  adjacent. 
Through  the  following  season  he  was  able  to  keep  his 
appointments  in  this  limited  area  and  to  preside  at  the 
annual  Convention  in  June.  During  the  summers 
of  extreme  age  he  lacked  sufficient  strength  to  perform 
public  work,  and,  for  the  only  time  in  his  long  fife,  did 
no  Sunday  duty  in  the  vacation,  but  was  content 
to  worship  with  his  wife  and  children  at  one  of  the 
churches  in  the  neighborhood  —  either  at  Grace, 
Amherst,  or  at  St.  John's,  Northampton.  The  last 
record  of  preaching  in  the  Connecticut  Valley  was 
one  Sunday  in  August,  1899,  when  he  was  rowed 
across  the  river,  from  his  own  meadow  to  the  opposite 
bank,  and  walked  through  the  fields  to  the  Hatfield 
meeting-house,  where  he  spoke  to  the  assembled  con- 
gregation. 

Under  that  pulpit  his  grandfather's  family  had  often 
sat  in  the  days  of  the  Revolution;  and  its  preacher, 
in  his  own  youth.  Dr.  Lyman, ^  was  by  marriage  a 
family  connection.    Associations  with  the  past  and  the 

^  Rev.  Joseph  Lyman,  D.  D.  was  born  in  Lebanon,  Conn.,  in 
1749.  He  graduated  from  Yale  College  with  high  honors,  and  served 
as  pastor  of  the  Congregational  Church  in  Hatfield  for  over  half  a 
century.  "  He  ascribed  much  of  his  pastoral  success  to  his  wife, 
whose  ruhng  aim  seemed  to  be  to  promote  his  usefulness."  She  was 
Hannah,  daughter  of  Simon  Huntington,  of  Lebanon.  Simon's  elder 
brother  Samuel  was  the  grandfather  of  Rev.  Dan  Huntington,  father 
of  Bishop  Huntington. 


416  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

sense  of  neighborly  relations  were  of  strong  influence 
upon  the  Bishop,  who  gladly  responded  to  an  oppor- 
tunity to  carry  the  word  of  God  to  this  flock  so  near 
his  home. 

In  the  last  winter  of  his  life  he  confirmed  in  several 
parishes  near  Syracuse,  finding  satisfaction  in  the 
ability  to  continue  his  official  labors.  He  preached 
once  at  the  Church  of  the  Saviour,  and  held  an  Ordi- 
nation of  Priests  at  Calvary  ;  and,  in  the  absence  of  a 
regular  minister  at  the  Church  of  St.  John  the  Divine, 
attended  the  services  several  Sundays,  celebrating 
the  communion  and  taking  charge  of  the  affairs  of 
the  parish.  Excepting  afternoon  confirmations  in  the 
city  churches,  and  the  accustomed  Sunday  vesper 
services  at  the  Hospital  of  the  Good  Shepherd,  which 
he  never  missed  except  in  actual  illness,  these  were 
the  only  ministrations  of  the  closing  months  of  his  life. 

He  continued  each  month  to  attend  the  meetings 
of  the  Hospital  trustees,  business  discussions  often 
trying  and  perplexing,  through  the  many  questions  to 
be  settled,  in  all  of  which  he  felt  a  deep  concern.  He 
also  presided  on  the  board  of  the  "Shelter  for  Un- 
protected Girls  "  and  at  the  monthly  meetings  of  the 
managers  of  the  State  Institution  for  the  Feeble- 
minded. His  sympathy  for  personal  afflictions,  es- 
pecially those  of  children,  and  his  early  friendship 
for  the  founder.  Dr.  Wilbur,  led  him,  when  he  first 
came  to  Syracuse,  to  take  an  interest  in  this  work. 
From  a  similar  feeling  he  was  led  to  realize  the  neg- 
lected religious  condition  of  the  deaf-mutes,  scattered 
through  his  diocese,  — "  the  silent  people  of  his 
flock"  as  he  called  them, — and  he  appointed  a 
priest  to  minister  to  them  in  the  sign -language,  and 


THE    ROAD    UPHILL  417 

secured  a  support  through  the  Junior  Branch  of  the 
Woman's  Auxihary. 

In  February  a  sudden  chill  came  as  a  premonitory 
sign  of  failing  strength,  and  though  he  rallied  quickly, 
other  attacks  followed,  with  a  severe  cold,  which  laid 
him  up  through  most  of  Lent. 

Syracuse,  Feb.  26,  1904. 

To  G.  C.  R. 

After  fourteen  days  indoors,  with  neuralgia  and 
some  depression ,  I  have  been  out  relishing  the  invigo- 
rating air  and  sunshine.  Winter  holds  on,  Spring 
must  be  somewhere  behind  the  hills.  In  how  many 
ways  God  teaches  us  that  we  are  weak,  and  that  only 
He  is  strong!  The  "Shelter"  and  "Hospital"  are 
full. 

You  must  find  it  needs  a  stock  of  spirits  to  keep  up 
cheerfully  among  the  unhappy.  Or  are  they  all  happy, 
in  their  way  ? 

We  have  "Walks  in  New  England,"  &c.,  &c.,  but 
Nature  always  outwits  the  painters  and  story-tellers. 

Syracuse,  April  1,  1904. 
To  M.  O'S. 

My  very  dear  Fellow-Pilgrim :  —  I  hope  this  will 
find  you  somewhere,  and  find  you  in  health  and  peace. 
It  is  not  wholly  a  peaceful  world  or  society;  but  we 
have  no  real  war,  only  confusion  coming  of  wrong 
desires  and  clashing  interests  and  ungoverned  pas- 
sions. Our  business,  plainly,  is  not  to  add  to  them; 
Good  Friday  helps  to  that.  Our  winter,  God's  winter, 
has  been  very  merciful  to  us,  and  here  we  are,  growing 
old,  and  not  accomplishing  much,  but  praying  for  one 


418  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

another,  giving  thanks  and  waiting.  At  Hadley  I  have 
a  change  of  farmers,  a  venture,  —  Providence  remains 
there  from  year  to  year.  We  seem  to  hear  less  and 
less  from  Berkshire,  or  "Berkshire  Mary."  The 
grandchildren  are  fine. 

Love  forever, 

F.  D.  H. 

Walnut  Place,  May,  1904. 
To  M.  R.  H. 

You  never  forget  the  return  of  my  birthday  and 
you  faithfully  anticipate  the  eighty-fifth.  It  is  not  easy 
for  me  to  realize  that  the  years  are  so  many,  for  my 
endurance  and  activity  continue  and  my  faculties  are 
not  much  impaired.  H.  and  our  two  daughters  are  our 
housemates.  Ruth  with  her  three  bright  and  good 
children  are  at  Northampton,  and  we  see  much  of 
them  in  summer.  My  sympathy  with  you  in  your 
weakness  is  most  sincere.  May  it  be  with  you  as  it 
was  with  the  old  English  poet :  — 

"  The  soul's  dark  cottage,  battered  and  decayed, 
Lets  in  new  light  through  chinks  that  time  has  made." 

The  happy  days  at  the  South  Congregational  are 
kept  in  mind. 

Love  and  blessing  for  you,  in  whatever  of  life  it 
shall  please  God  to  grant  us,  to  the  end. 

With  thanks  and  confidence, 

F.  D.  Huntington. 

With  the  coming  on  of  spring  the  Bishop  was  able 
to  take  his  daily  walks,  making  his  way  slowly  to  the 
Hospital,  or  across  the  park  to  the  electric  cars,  and 
through  the  city  streets,  to  the  bank,  the   bookstore. 


THE    ROAD    UPHILL  419 

the  news-stand,  chatting  cheerily  with  those  he  met. 
Much  of  the  time  at  home,  when  not  at  his  desk,  where 
writing  became  evidently  more  and  more  of  an  effort, 
he  would  sit  by  the  fire,  with  a  book  in  his  hand  but 
not  reading  much,  or  resting  on  a  couch  in  the  family 
room.  In  the  evenings  he  found  diversion  in  playing 
backgammon  with  a  kind  neighbor,  for  whose  com- 
pany he  would  frequently  send.  A  few  times  he  spent 
a  half  hour  with  his  trusted  adviser  Rev.  Dr.  Babcock, 
who  had  also  grown  enfeebled  by  age.  Although  he 
talked  of  making  one  more  visit  to  Utica,  among  the 
friends  there  who  were  endeared  to  him  through  years 
of  affectionate  intercourse,  the  energy  for  a  day's 
travel  did  not  come.  He  could  not  carry  out  his  in- 
tention to  be  present  at  the  opening  services  of  Holy 
Cross  House,  at  West  Park,  built  by  the  Order  of  which 
his  son  Father  Huntington  was  Superior.  He  wrote  to 
Rev.  George  Huntington  that  he  hoped  to  see  him 
there  on  that  occasion,  but  they  never  met  again  in 
this  world. 

On  his  birthday,  in  beautiful  May  weather,  he  en- 
joyed a  short  trip  to  Cazenovia  with  his  wife,  making 
the  journey  to  baptize  a  little  grandson  of  his  old 
friend  Bishop  Stevens,  in  St.  Peter's  Church. 

Although  it  seemed  at  one  time  very  doubtful 
whether  he  would  be  able  to  attend  the  annual  Con- 
vention of  the  diocese  in  Rome,  on  the  second  Tuesday 
in  June,  he  made  the  usual  preparation,  and  before 
the  time  came  his  bodily  strength  returned  remarkably. 
Mrs.  Huntington  accompanied  him  thither  to  the 
house  of  friends.  He  went  and  came  without  signs 
of  fatigue,  leaving  the  business  to  be  conducted  by 
Bishop   Olmsted,  the   Coadjutor;   and   deHvered  his 


420  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

address  with  all  the  power  and  animation  of  earlier 
days. 

After  the  statistical  report  he  continued :  — 
"Calling  to  mind  the  fact  that  we  stand  with  the 
best  minds  of  the  best  thinkers  and  students,  both  of 
the  Hebrew  monotheism  and  Gentile  speculation,  we 
see  that  in  the  Church  we  are  in  the  midst  of  the 
ceaseless  conflict  between  the  divine  and  human,  be- 
tween the  natural  and  the  spiritual,  between  what 
God  made  man  to  be  and  what  man  has  made  himself 
to  be,  and  that  we  are  as  individuals  responsible  for 
the  issue  of  the  struggle.  By  any  mental  measurement, 
all  the  intellectual  subtleties  of  the  Athenian  and 
Alexandrian  philosophy  were  overmatched  by  a 
Nazarene  carpenter  and  two  fishermen  on  the  banks 
of  the  Jordan  and  the  Lake  of  Galilee,  with  a  tent- 
maker  from  Tarsus.  The  voice  from  the  Mount  of 
Olives  and  the  Cross  at  Calvary  sounds  unaltered 
from  age  to  age,  and  we  have  heard  it  and  we  believe 
it.  Even  the  wisest  of  the  Neo-Platonists  were  respon- 
sible for  the  paradox :  *  This  world  is  the  best  of  all 
possible  worlds  and  everything  in  it  is  a  necessary  evil ; ' 
and  neither  Pantheism  nor  all  the  Dualism  from  the 
early  Greeks  to  St.  Paul  has  been  able  to  reconcile 
that  contradiction.  It  is  most  impressive  and  most 
pathetic  to  see  nevertheless  in  history,  how  the  in- 
wrought idea  of  a  '  something, '  a  power  and  a  presence, 
beyond  all  mortal  forces  or  phenomena,  has  survived 
in  spite  of  all  theological  theories  and  systems.  By  a 
few  simple  New  Testament  affirmations  our  foothold 
is  established  and  our  place  made  secure.  *I  came 
forth  from  God  and  am  come  into  the  world ; '  *  Except 
a  com  of  wheat  fall  into  the  ground  and  die,  it  abideth 


THE    ROAD    UPHILL  421 

alone,  but  if  it  die  it  bringeth  forth  much  fruit;'  *This 
is  life  eternal,  to  know  Thee  the  only  true  God,  and 
Jesus  Christ  whom  Thou  hast  sent;'  *My  doctrine 
is  not  mine  but  His  that  sent  me ; '  'I  and  my  Father 
are  one.'" 

At  the  close  he  said:  "The  required  work  of  my 
calling  has  not  been  beyond  my  strength  and  endurance. 
The  relief  afforded  by  the  Coadjutor,  always  ready 
and  willing,  is  ample.  There  is  room  with  me  for  re- 
flection and  reasonable  rest,  with  freedom  from  trouble- 
some anxiety.  Spoken  and  written  assurances  and 
tokens  of  confidence  made  the  28th  of  May  bright 
and  cheerful  for  me  and  my  family,  as  the  earth  and 
sky  were  full  of  the  blended  beauty  of  spring  and 
summer.  The  inevitable  mortal  decline  is  gradual, 
and  so  far  is  partial.  All  that  is  needful  in  the  attention 
and  assistance  of  the  clergy  is  offered  and  provided, 
and  the  benefits  are  not  wholly  obscured  by  my  keen 
regret  at  having  learned  so  little  in  a  lengthened  life, 
by  experience  and  study,  and  at  having  forgotten  so 
much  of  what  I  once  knew.  The  Divine  Providence 
to  Christ's  ministers  never  fails." 


CHAPTER    XII 


THE   JOURNEY    ENDED 


"  The  pilgrim  they  laid  in  a  large  upper  chamber,  whose  window 
opened  towards  the  sun-rising.   The  name  of  the  chamber  was  Peace." 

In  all  the  thirty-five  years  of  his  Episcopate  it  was 
Bishop  Huntington's  custom  to  close  the  year's  work 
after  Convention  with  attendance  at  the  graduating 
exercises  of  St.  John's  School,  Manlius,  and  for  nearly 
that  length  of  time  he  had  been  present  at  those  of 
Keble  School,  Syracuse.  This  latter,  in  June,  1904, 
completed  its  long  and  successful  history,  and  sent  out 
its  last  class.  The  Bishop  presented  the  diplomas, 
with  the  same  graceful  and  appropriate  greetings 
and  words  of  Godspeed,  as  in  the  days  of  old. 

The  last  entry  ever  made  in  the  record  of  Sunday 
ministrations,  begun  in  1842,  was  of  confirmation  at  All 
Saints  Church,  Syracuse,  on  the  morning  of  June  19. 
That  afternoon  the  Bishop  read  Evening  Prayer  in  the 
chapel  at  the  Hospital  of  the  Good  Shepherd,  the 
closing  service  of  his  Episcopate. 

Once  more  only  did  he  ever  make  utterance  in  public. 
On  Monday  he  and  his  family  left  S}Tacuse,  reaching 
the  beloved  Hadleyhome  that  evening  after  a  long  and 
wearisome  journey.  In  the  mail  waiting  for  him  was  a 
pressing  invitation  to  attend  the  Commencement 
exercises  the  next  day  at  Smith  College,  and  make  the 
opening  prayer.    He  arose  at  five  o'clock  and,  seated 


THE    JOURNEY   ENDED  423 

at  his  study-table,  wrote  out  the  petitions  which  he 
offered  that  morning  in  the  College  chapel.  One  who 
was  present  said  of  them  after  his  death:  "Bowed 
with  the  weight  of  years,  but  with  much  of  the  old 
resonance  in  his  voice,  his  words  had  the  authority 
of  a  stainless  life  behind  them ;  they  bore  the  impress 
of  long  familiarity  with  the  best  devotional  literature; 
they  were  nobly  simple  and  inclusive  of  the  widest 
human  interests."  * 

During  the  week  that  followed,  the  power  and 
associations  of  the  past  asserted  themselves  in  spite 
of  failing  attention  and  evident  inability  to  read  or 
write.  The  Bishop  drove  once  more  through  the 
wood-paths  of  his  farm,  wandered  in  the  meadow  and 
sat  dreamily  watching  the  haymakers.  Even  when  his 
nights  were  broken,  he  could  pass  the  time  out  of  doors 
through  the  day,  and  drive  about  a  little;  one  day 
attending  for  a  few  minutes  the  graduation  exercises  of 
Hopkins  Academy,  the  school  of  his  boyhood.  On 
Sunday  he  went  to  St.  John's  Northampton,  having  in 
the  seat  with  him  the  granddaughter  who,  since  her 
babyhood,  had  been  his  favorite  companion.  The 
next  morning,  though  manifestly  more  feeble,  his 
first  thought  was  a  promise  to  bring  his  daughter 
and  her  children  from  their  home  in  Northampton 
to  the  house  at  Pine  Grove. 

As  he  drove  down  the  valley  and  across  the  river, 
he  remarked  on  the  perfection  of  the  landscape  under 
a  radiant  June  sky,  the  lights  and  shadows  on  the 
mountains,  the  rich  verdure  of  the  meadows,  and  the 
peace  and  restfulness  of  the  countryside. 

In  the  twilight  that  evening  he  sat  for  awhile  under 
'  The  Outlook,  July  23,  1904. 


424  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

the  old  elm  tree  planted  by  his  grandfather,  the  farm 
dog  on  the  grass  at  his  feet.  Two  hours  later  one  of 
the  sudden  chills  came  on,  which  marked  the  begin- 
ning of  some  serious  disorder,  plainly  connected  with 
the  wearing  out  of  the  brain,  for  his  mind  wandered 
from  the  first  and  became  more  and  more  clouded. 
There  was  much  pain  and  restlessness,  but  he  was 
comforted  by  the  presence  of  his  wife  and  daughters, 
and  happy  to  greet  his  younger  son  when  he  came 
for  a  few  days.  He  was  quite  unaware  that  the  eldest 
bom  was  lying  ill  at  the  rectory  at  Hanover. 

At  first  there  seemed  reason  to  hope  that  the  wonder- 
ful constitution  which  had  stood  the  strain  of  eighty- 
five  years  of  activity  would  rally  from  this  sharp  at- 
tack, and  the  failure  of  strength  was  hardly  per- 
ceptible. On  Saturday,  the  morning  of  July  9,  the 
doctor  asked  him  how  he  was,  and  he  replied  quite 
clearly,  "Purified  as  by  fire."  These  were  the  last 
articulate  words,  strikingly  in  accord  with  the  spirit 
of  his  verses  written  not  long  before :  — 

"  Come,  when  pain's  throbbing  pulse  in  brain  and  nerves  is  burning, 
O  form  of  Man!  that  moved  among  the  faithful  three, 
These  earth-enkindled  flames  to  robes  of  glory  turning; 
Walk  '  through  the  fire,'  peace-giving  Son  of  God,  with  me  ! " 

Sight  and  hearing  seemed  to  fail  after  that,  and 
when  his  physician,  a  family  friend,  arrived  from 
S}Tacuse  that  evening,  he  could  not  recognize  her. 
Messages  of  love  and  sympathy,  which  multiplied 
when  the  fact  of  his  extreme  illness  became  known, 
never  reached  his  ears;  but  the  many  prayers  offered 
from  hearts  all  over  the  land  surely  brought  peace 
and  sustaining  strength  to  the  departing  soul.  On 
Monday,  when  the  Commendatory  prayers  were  read 


THE    JOURNEY   ENDED  425 

in  the  quiet  sick-room  by  the  rector  of  St.  John's 
Church,  the  soul  was  very  near  its  release.  All  that 
day  the  sweet  breath  from  the  new-mown  hay  was 
wafted  in  at  the  open  windows,  and  the  sounds  of 
homely  toil  in  the  fields  could  be  heard,  but  he  who 
had  loved  it  all  so  well  lay  unconscious,  as  the  tide  of 
life  ebbed  peacefully  away. 

Before  the  sun  sank  low  in  the  west,  that  hour  so 
often  dwelt  upon  by  him  with  pathetic  longing,  the 
light  eternal  shone  upon  his  vision. 

He  was  l^id  to  rest  beside  his  father  and  mother, 
brothers  and  sisters,  in  the  old  cemetery  where  an- 
cestors for  generations  had  slept.  There  was  no  op- 
portunity for  pomp  and  ceremonial  in  the  simple 
country  funeral,  and  it  was  what  he  would  have  liked 
best.  By  a  strange  and  mysterious  dispensation  Rev. 
George  Huntington,  the  older  son,  was  taken  away 
suddenly,  while  suffering  from  a  low  fever,  just  two 
hours  after  his  father  breathed  his  last;  and  his  sons 
brought  him  back  to  the  homestead  to  be  laid  in  the 
earth  at  the  same  time.  The  old  "Long  room"  had 
been  often  the  scene  of  holy  rites,  —  baptisms,  mar- 
riages, and  many  a  service  of  prayer  and  praise. 
There  the  family,  with  two  clergymen,  the  Bishop's 
successor  in  office  and  his  first  assistant  in  Emmanuel 
Church,  recited  the  creed  and  listened  to  the  glorious 
Scripture  lesson  for  the  Burial  of  the  Dead.  At  the 
grave,  clergy  and  choristers  in  their  robes,  from  near 
and  far,  with  friends  and  neighbors,  gathered  for  the 
solemn  Committal.  The  day  was  beautiful,  full  of 
promise  of  the  better  world  to  come. 

During  the  services  a  slight  veil  covered  the  sky, 
but  when  the  uplifted  voices  reached  the  sixth  verse 


426  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

of  the  hymn,  "  For  all  the  saints  who  from  their  labors 
rest,"  a  brilliant  shaft  of  light  from  the  sinking  sun 
broke  across  the  vistas  of  hillside  and  meadow, 
kindling  the  vestments  of  those  ministering  into  an 
almost  unearthly  radiance,  with  a  reminder  to  the 
assembled  worshipers  of  that  other  "golden  evening" 
which  "  brightens  in  the  West"  and  of  the  "yet  more 
glorious  Day." 

"THEN  I  HEARD  IN  MY  *  DREAM  '  THAT  ALL  THE  BELLS 
OF  THE  CITY  RANG  FOR  JOY." 


APPENDIX 


GENEALOGICAL   NOTES 


I.  Moses  Porter's  grandfather,  Samuel  Porter, 
was  the  first  male  child  bom  in  Hadley,  and  his  great- 
grandmother,  Sarah  Westwood,  the  first  bride.  She 
married  Aaron  Porter,  a  son  of  Aaron,  who  accom- 
panied the  Colonists  from  Dorchester,  Massachusetts, 
to  Windsor,  Connecticut;  was  active  in  the  Indian 
wars,  a  famous  slayer  of  wolves,  and,  finally,  a  Major 
under  Governor  Andros.  He  went  with  the  settlers 
to  Northampton,  at  the  special  request  of  his  minister. 
Rev.  Mr.  Mather ;  built  a  homestead  on  the  hill  where 
the  Forbes  Library  now  stands,  and  was  buried  in  the 
old  graveyard.  His  name  and  deeds  are  commemo- 
rated by  a  handsome  monument  erected  by  a  de- 
scendant, the  father  of  the  late  Professor  Josiah 
Parsons  Cooke,  of  Harvard  College. 

II.  Rev.  John  Whiting  was  closely  connected  with 
the  Regicide  judges,  Goffe  and  Whalley,  and  is  known 
to  have  been  the  secret  medium  for  their  correspond- 
ence with  Increase  Mather. 

His  second  wife,  Phoebe,  an  ancestress  whose  mem- 
ory Bishop  Huntington  always  cherished,  was  the 
daughter  of  Thomas  Gregson,  an  active  member  of 
the  New  Haven  Colony,  and  intimately  associated  with 
its  pastor.  Rev.  Jolm  Davenport.  After  her  husband's 
death,  Mrs.   Whiting   became  the   third  wife   of  his 


428  FREDERIC    DAN    HUNTINGTON 

friend,  Rev.  John  Russell,  rightly  called  "the  Hero  of 
Hadley,"  since  it  was  through  his  courage,  endurance, 
and  unflinching  fidelity  to  the  trust  imposed  in  him 
that  the  Regicides  were  concealed  under  his  roof  for 
many  years.  Phoebe  survived  him,  and  spent  the  last 
years  of  her  life  in  New  Haven.  It  may  be  worthy 
of  note  that  Rev.  John  Whiting  was  the  ancestor  of 
General  Ulysses  Grant,  whose  line  comes  down 
through  the  first  wife. 

III.  Mrs.  Pitkin's  grave  is  to  be  found,  with  the 
headstone  marking  it,  in  the  Hadley  burying-ground, 
next  to  the  raised  sandstone  tablet  on  which,  in  rude 
characters,  overgrown  with  lichens,  is  inscribed  the 
epitaph  of  her  stepfather,  Parson  Russell.  She  died 
in  1753,  only  a  few  months  before  the  completion  of 
the  old  homestead. 

IV.  Connecticut  traditions  have  preserved  the  story 
of  William  Pitkin's  sister  Martha,  who  came  from 
England  to  visit  him,  and  was  persuaded  by  a  com- 
pany of  her  admirers  to  remain  and  select  one  of 
their  number  as  a  husband,  her  choice  falling  upon 
Henry  Wolcott  of  Windsor.  The  worthies  of  the 
colony  maintained  that  she  ought  not  to  be  permitted 
to  go  back  to  the  old  country,  because  "  the  stock  was 
too  good."  History  seems  to  bear  out  their  prediction, 
since  from  this  ancestress  came  a  long  line  of  distin- 
guished men,  beginning  with  Oliver  Wolcott,  signer  of 
the  Declaration  of  Independence,  and  including  some 
thirty  judges  and  seven  governors  of  states,  the  latest 
being  the  lamented  Roger  Wolcott  of  Massachusetts. 

V.  Bethia  Throop,  the  paternal  grandmother  of 
Frederic  Dan  Huntington,  was  the  granddaughter  of 
Dan  Throop,  whose  wife,  Deborah  Church,  was  de- 


APPENDIX  429 

scended  from  Richard  Warren  of  the  Mayflower. 
According  to  Connecticut  traditions  the  Throops 
came  down  from  Adrian  Scrope,  one  of  the  signers 
of  the  death  warrant  of  Charles  the  First.  After  the 
execution  of  Scrope,  on  Tower  Hill,  in  1666,  his  son 
William,  it  is  said,  emigrated  to  this  country  and 
changed  his  name  to  Throop.  Bishop  Huntington 
used  to  remark,  playfully,  that  he  was  led  to  account 
for  two  opposite  strains  of  temperament  in  his  own 
nature  by  ascribing  them  to  the  mixture  of  Round- 
head and  Royalist  blood,  through  the  Regicide  judge 
and  a  collateral  ancestor,  Samuel  Huntington,  captain 
in  King  Charles's  Life  Guards.  The  brother  of  Sam- 
uel, Simon,  sailed  for  this  country  and  died  on  a  ship 
in  New  Haven  Harbor;  but  his  sons  Simon  and 
Christopher  were  founders  of  the  town  of  Norwich, 
Connecticut,  and  from  them,  so  far  as  genealogical 
records  show,  are  descended  those  of  the  name  scat- 
tered over  this  wide  land.  William  Huntington,  who 
married  Bethia  Throop,  was  the  great-grandson  of 
Mary  Fairbanks,  bom  in  the  house  ui  Dedham,  Mas- 
sachusetts, which  is  preserved  by  the  Fairbanks  family 
in  America  as  an  interesting  historical  relic.  She  mar- 
ried Michael  Metcalf  in  1644. 

VI.  The  early  history  of  Bishop  Huntington's 
birthplace,  with  that  of  his  mother's  family,  may  be 
found  in  the  little  volume  "  Under  a  Colonial  Roof- 
tree,"  published  by  C.  F/.  Wolcott,  Syracuse. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 

PUBLICATIONS   STILL    IN   PRINT 

Sermons  for  the  People,  8th  Edition,  12mo    .         .         $1.00 

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$1.20  net 

E.  P.  Dutton  &  Co.,  New  York 

Christ  in  the  Christian  Year  and  in  the  Life  of 

Man,   Sermons   for    Laymen,   Vol.    I,  Advent    to 

Trinity,  12mo,  404  pages  .  ....         $1.50 

Vol.  II,  Trinity  to  Advent,  12mo  ....        $1.50 

E.  P.  Dutton  &  Co.,  New  York 
Christ  and  the  World,  Secularism  tlie  Enemy  of  the 

Church paper,  25  cts. 

E.  P.  Dutton  &  Co.,  New  York 
Helps  to  a  Holy  Lent,  16mo  ....        $1.00 

E.  P.  Dutton  &  Co.,  New  York 
Forty  Days  with  the  Master,  12mo 

cloth,  $1.00,  white  cloth,  $1.25 
E.  P.  Dutton  &  Co.,  New  York 
Days  of  Lent,  Selected  readings  by  W.  M.  L.  Jay, 

12mo $1.25  ne< 

E.  P.  Dutton  &  Co.,  New  York 
The  Fitness  of  Christianity  to  Man  :  The  Bohlen 

Lectures  of  1878,  12mo 75  cts. 

Thomas  Whittaker,  New  York 
Personal  Religious  Life  in  the  Ministry  and  in 

Ministering  Women,  12mo    .        .        .        cloth,  75  cts. 

Thomas  Whittaker,  New  York 

Good  Talking  and  Good  Manners  ;  Fine  Arts       .        $1.00 

C.  E.  Wolcott,  Syracuse,  N.  Y. 
Home-keeping  a  Fine  Art    ....        paper,  35  cts. 

C.  E.  Wolcott,  Syracuse,  N.  Y. 
High  Minds  and  Low  ....        paper,  35  cts. 

C.  E.  Wolcott,  Syracuse,  N.  Y. 
Unconscious  Tuition  ....        paper,  15  cts. 

C.  W.  Bardeen,  Syracuse,  N.  Y. 


INDEX 


Agassiz,  Louis,  111,  119,  120. 
Amherst,  32,  38-43,  122,  225,  296, 

375,  391,  415. 
Anti-slavery  Movement,  16, 127. 

Brook  Farm,  56,  68,  69. 
Brooks,  Rt.  Rev.  Phillips,  272. 
Bulfinch,  Rev.  Stephen  Greenleaf , 

65. 
Bushnell,  Rev.  Horace,  190. 

C.  A.  I.  L.,  353,  356-358. 
Carlyle,  Thomas,  51-54,  56. 
Channing,  Rev.  William  Ellery,  12, 

14,  25,  46,  85. 
Child,  Francis  J.,  119. 
Church  of  the  Good  Shepherd,  240, 

242,  243,  287. 
Clapp,  Rev.  Dexter,  39,  40. 
Clark,  Rt.  Rev.  Thomas  M.,  199. 
Coleridge,  Hartley,  127. 
Coleridge,  Samuel  Taylor,  51,  54. 
Cooke,  Josiah  Parsons,  169. 
Coolidge,  Rev.  James  I.  T.,  72,  85, 

94,  163,  200,  204. 
Coxe,  Rt.  Rev.  Arthur  Cleveland, 

201,  202,  273,  280,  381. 
Cullis,  Dr.  Charles,  241. 

Day,    Chancellor    James    Roscoe, 

385. 
De  Quincey,  Thomas,  51. 
Dwight,  President  Timothy,  3. 

Eastburn,  Rt.  Rev.  Manton,  169, 
209,  212,  216,  218,  220,  247,  305. 


Eliot,  President  Charles  W.,  118, 

121. 
EUis,  Rev.  Rufus,  5,  62. 
Emerson,  Ralph  Waldo,  29,  42,  54, 

55,  69. 
Emmanuel  Church,  214,  217-220, 
237,  242-245,  250,  273,  277,  278, 
287,  288,  315,  350,  397,  425. 

Felton,  President  Cornelius  C, 
173-176. 

Hale,  Rev.  Edward  Everett,  3,  77, 
84,  103,  108,  404. 

Hall,  Rev.  Edward  B.,  30,  154, 
155,  180. 

Harvard  University,  16,  18, 24,  46- 
49,  103,  104,  107,  110-140,  168, 
172,  173,  203,  204,  305. 

Hawthorne,  Nathaniel,  69. 

Hohues,  Oliver  Wendell,  206. 

Hopkins  Academy,  26,  423. 

Hopkins,  President  Mark,  192-195. 

Huntington,  Elizabeth  Whiting 
Phelps,  youth  and  marriage,  1-8 ; 
birth  of  son  Frederic  Dan,  8,  9  ; 
religious  life,  12-29, 180 ;  excom- 
munication, 12-16,  371 ;  interest 
in  reform  movements,  16,  127, 
151,  253  ;  letters,  20,  33,  89 ;  ill- 
ness and  death,  92 ;  her  jour- 
nal, 7-9,  93  ;  recollections  of,  180, 
181,  302,  331,  392. 

Huntington,  Rev.  Dan,  youth  and 
marriage,  1,  3;  early  ministry, 
8-16 ;    removal   to    Hadley,  63  ; 


434 


INDEX 


petition  to  Hadley  church,  10  ; 
letters  from,  72,  80  ;  letters  to, 
56,  209 ;  family  memorial,  143, 
144  ;  death,  233. 

Huntington,  Rev.  George  Putnam, 
86,  120,  152,  206,  225,  229,  270, 
280,  289,  297,  308,  309,  333,  335, 
337,  366-368,  375,  419,  424,  425. 

Huntington,  Rev.  James  Otis  Sar- 
gent, 100, 101,  289,  312,  333-336, 
337,  338,  353,  375,  419,  424. 

Huntington,  William,  3. 

Huntington,  Rev.  William  Reed, 
114,  138,  142,  218,  219,  244,  262, 
263,  425. 

Huntington,  Rt.  Rev.  Frederic 
Dan,  heritage,  1-8;  boyhood, 
1-32 ;  reading  in  youth,  25,  26, 
41,  42,  47,  51,  52,  54,  60  ;  educa- 
tion, 17,  18,  23,  25-28,  30,  31,  32, 
37-44,  50-53,  60,  66 ;  early  reli- 
gious influences,  14-17,  29,  30,  34, 
36,  44-47,  53;  college  life,  32, 
37^4  ;  calling  to  the  ministry, 
44-47 ;  Cambridge  Divinity 
School,  48-67  ;  pastorate  in  the 
South  Congregational  Society, 
68-110,  140,  418;  Boston  resi- 
dences, 85,  218 ;  the  Roxbury 
home,  86,  87-91 ;  awakening  to 
the  facts  of  sin  and  repentance, 
93,  135-137,  258,  266,  414;  the 
Plummer  Professorship,  103 ;  in- 
duction at  Harvard  as  Professor 
of  Christian  Morals,  114-117; 
life  at  Cambridge,  110-153; 
change  of  religious  belief,  93-96, 
153-172,  176-183,  266,  359-362; 
entrance  into  the  Episcopal 
Church,  194-201,  209-212,  221, 
366 ;  rectorship  at  Emmanuel 
Church,  214-279;  elections  to 
the  Episcopate,  267,  273  ;  conse- 
cration as  Bishop  of  Central  New 
York,  280 ;   spiritual  influence, 


79,  99,  123,  184, 188,  263,  269,  311, 
314,  340,  344,  383;  preaching, 
61-64,  78,  138,  148,  244,  250-260, 
296,  311,  313,  344,  355,  379,  388, 
398,  415 ;  observance  of  the 
Christian  Year,  92,  138,  139,  149, 
195,  234,  248,  339;  editorial 
work,  39,  89,  154,  157,  263,  394 ; 
acquaintance  with  religious  po- 
etry, 101,  102,  139,  140,  188,  260, 
261,  404 ;  interest  in  the  Peace 
Movement,  16,  74,  151,  253,  254, 
394 ;  sense  of  social  responsi- 
bility, 52,  67-70,  72,  84,  85,  106, 
141,  143,  241,  306,  307,  324-327, 
353,  358  ;  labor  on  the  farm,  21, 
22,  32,  42,  59,  121,  235,  271,  369  ; 
love  of  Nature,  22,  45,  91,  296, 
318,  333,  369,  370,  391,  392,  403, 
404;  the  Hadley  home,  27-30, 
34,  146,  234-237,  271,  296,  339, 
369,  370,  391,  392,  403  ;  writings, 
text-book  on  the  Book  of  Acts, 
88 ;  lectures,  unpublished,  90  ; 
Unconscious  Tuition,  30,  122 ; 
Divine  Aspects  of  Human  Soci- 
ety, 132,  142,  149,  352 ;  Sermons 
for  the  People,  140-143,  149,  166, 
168 ;  Christian  Believing  and 
Living,  164,  169,  182-184,  200, 
204-269,  379;  Helps  to  a  Holy 
Lent,  304,  319  ;  New  Helps  to  a 
Holy  Lent,  319  ;  Fitness  of  Chris- 
tianity to  Man :  Bohlen  Lec- 
tures, 320 ;  Christ  in  the  Chris- 
tian Year  and  in  the  Life  of 
Man,  Vol.  I,  Advent  to  Trinity, 
320  ;  Vol.  II,  Trinity  to  Advent, 
2(i6,  320;  Forty  Days  with  the 
Master,  372  ;  Miscellaneous,  39, 
54-56,  123,  139,  155,  250-260, 
264,  265,  353,  356,  371-373. 

Keble  School,  Syracuse,  316,  317, 
422. 


INDEX 


435 


Litchfield,  4,  7. 

Lyiuan,  Mrs.  Anue  Jean,  41. 

Martin,  Grace,  6. 

May,  Rev.  Samuel  J.,  96,  327. 

Muhlenberg,    Rev.    William    A., 

205,  208,  220,  2G1. 

Northampton,  13,  14,  23,  24,  27,  30, 
41,  42,  03,  64,  411,  415,  418,  423. 

Olmsted,  Rt.  Rev.  Charles  Tyler, 

407,  409,  425. 

Palmer,  Rev.  Ray,  187,  188. 
Parker,  Rev.  Theodore,  54,  55,  58, 

68,  69,  88,  214. 
Parks,  Rev.  Edward  A.,  191,  192. 
Peabody,  Rev.  Ephraim,  118. 
Phelps,  Mrs.  Almira  Lincoln,  18. 
Phelps,  Charles,  Senior,  31. 
Phelps,  Charles,  2,  3,  7,  8,  370. 
Phelps,  Charles  Porter,  2,  64. 
Phelps,  Nathaniel,  2,  6. 
Pitkin,  Nathaniel,  2, 
Pitkin,  William,  2,  428. 
Porter,  Moses,  1,  2,  412. 
Potter,  Rt.  Rev.  Henry  Codman, 

380. 
Putnam,  Rev.  George,  17,  58,  62, 

72,  83,  86,  103. 

Sargent,  Epes,  71,  76. 

Sargent,  John  Osborne,  71,  76,  77. 


South  Congregational  Parish,  68, 

72,   74-79,  84-87,  103,  107,   108, 

140,  418. 
St.  Andrew's  Divinity  School,  289, 

312,  316,  346. 
St.    John's  School,   Manlius,   300, 

301,  313,  422. 
Storrs,    Rev.   Richard  Salter,  43, 

134,  189. 
Sumner,  Charles,  127-130. 
Syracuse,  96,  282,  289,  308,  317,  324, 

325,  334,  346,  347,  375,  382-386, 

395,  396,  416,  422. 

Transcendentalism,  53,  55,  57,  70. 

Unitarianism,  11,  45,  56,  159,  160, 
176,  361,  404. 

Vinton,  Rev.  Alexander,  203-206, 
213. 

Walker,  Rev.  James,  53,  114,  161, 

167, 173. 
Ware,  Rev.  Henry,  Jr.,  49,  53,  55, 

60,74. 
Warwick,  46-48,  61,  340. 
Whipple,  Rt.  Rev.  Heniy  B.,  229, 

232. 
Whittingham,   Rt.  Rev.  William 

R.,  302. 
Willard,  Mrs.  Emma,  18. 
Williams,  Rt.  Rev.  John,  202,  203, 

333. 


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